Four Teams Who Should Trade for Kyler Murray

The Arizona Cardinals are at a true crossroads with Kyler Murray – more so than they have been during any other offseason. The former number one overall pick is heading into year seven, but he may have overstayed his welcome with fans, and sooner rather than later the front office who didn’t draft him could be ready to move on.

Murray’s contract makes him difficult to move, but there are certainly teams who would love to bring in the two-time Pro Bowler.

Some teams will see Murray as an opportunity to compete with a good roster. Others could view him as a placeholder while they figure out the future of the position. And who knows? Maybe a team sees him as a long-term option considering his age.

Whatever the reason may be, Murray certainly has a market – it’s just a bit more unique than others.

I think four teams make the most sense to trade for him. Some teams share a similar reason while others could have a different plan for his future with the franchise.

These are the teams who make sense to me to go after Murray.

New York Jets

The Jets will do anything but draft a young quarterback who can work. Instead, they swing and miss on their evaluations and then bring in veterans to try and mask the void under center.

Once again, New York finds themselves in that situation, but this time with the capital to get a quarterback in a quarterback-starved class. They feel much more likely to add a veteran option again as they insist that this roster is good enough to compete.

Well, if you’re looking for just that - Murray is your man.

As it stands, the Jets have an above average defense to back an offense that features a star receiver and running back. Average play from Murray can be enough to get New York back on track if this roster is as good as they believe it to be.

There are some obstacles here, however. Garrett Wilson is not happy with the organization as it stands and could force his way out via trade. Davante Adams is likely moving on, as well. Suddenly the Jets are lacking weapons.

If they can convince one of the two to stay and then add some offensive weapons in the offseason, then they can get significantly better with Murray.

It’s also worth noting that this is a new front office and coaching staff. They will want to have their own quarterback, but 2025 seems unlikely for that. Murray can be a short-term answer in the meantime.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland has needed a quarterback for longer than I’ve been alive, aka 30 years… that’s going back to even before that original Browns team relocated to Baltimore. They simply have not had good and consistent play in forever.

Murray is a significant upgrade over what’s currently there and what they’ve had in quite some time. We all know that Murray isn’t quite the franchise savior he was supposed to be, but he can still manage a good team.

Believe it or not, Cleveland isn’t too far off from being that.

Just two years ago the Browns were in the playoffs with a similar roster and head coach Kevin Stefanski knows how to get the most out of his players as a two-time Coach of the Year.

Cleveland may be coming off a three-win season, but prior to that they went to the playoffs twice, including their first postseason win of the century, and have hovered around .500 his other two seasons.

With an upgrade at quarterback and a killer offseason, the Browns can get right back into the playoffs.

Losing Myles Garrett will hurt Cleveland, but they can still use some great capital and cap space to build the team in preparation for his departure. Murray’s addition upgrades quarterback and as long as he manages the game, the Browns are a playoff team.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders are proof that bad teams stay bad when you are constantly blowing everything up. Few teams need a quarterback as badly as Las Vegas does, which could lead them to do whatever it takes to move up and grab one of Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders in the upcoming draft.

Getting that potential franchise quarterback is more important than anything else, however this roster is more than a quarterback away from competing. The 2025 NFL Draft may be short-handed on top quarterbacks, but it’s loaded across the defensive side of the ball and features plenty of playmakers on offense to surround a QB with.

Perhaps the Raiders would be better off using this class to add talent to a talent-deprived roster and kick the tires on a quarterback for one more season… as difficult as that may be for fans.

Murray could be a solid choice for Las Vegas in the intermediate. We’ve seen Murray be able to get the best out of his weapons, so if the Raiders can bolster their offense with some playmakers, then we could see them become a tough out for opposing teams.

Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers are a great start, but they need another receiver or two and a better running back. The 2025 class provides answers to both of those. If they hit on those picks, we could see the Raiders take a huge leap forward from their current standing as a laughingstock in the league.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steeler — Jan 28, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin visits the field during Senior Bowl practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

It’s the same old song and dance for the Steelers – they make the playoffs almost every season and then get bounced early. Since Ben Roethlisberger left, Pittsburgh has had inconsistent-to-terrible quarterback play and not for a lack of trying different options.

Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were brought in last offseason with up-and-down results. The roster is good enough to win with consistent quarterback play, but neither provided that.

Steeler fans could view Murray in the exact same light and it wouldn’t be difficult to blame them. However, Murray is still capable of winning games and is a much more consistent manager than the guys they’ve tried before him.

Adding Murray also allows Pittsburgh to wait another year for a deep quarterback draft class in 2026 while remaining competitive. Win/win depending on who you ask, but a defense as great as the Steelers can make a run as long as the offense stays out of the way.