Why Cardinals must consider cutting Kyler Murray (and why they won’t)

After Monday’s shock win over the Dallas Cowboys, Jonathan Gannon was unequivocal that the Arizona Cardinals don’t have a quarterback controversy.

“Nothing’s modified on that,” mentioned the Arizona head coach about the potential of Jacoby Brissett usurping Kyler Murray as his starter. “That’s how I really feel.” 

Brissett supplied a gradual veteran presence instead of the injured Murray, finishing 21 of 31 passes for 261 yards and two scores to assist the Cardinals beat the Cowboys, 27-17, snapping a five-game skid.

Gannon can really feel how he desires, however numbers present that the Cardinals offense has moved the ball higher with Brissett below middle, albeit over a small pattern dimension. Whereas Brissett is a extremely succesful backup, it is a dangerous search for the polarizing (and highly-paid) Murray.

Cardinals cross higher, rating extra with Jacoby Brissett than Kyler Murray

Brissett has averaged 256 passing yards per recreation in his three begins, along with his offense scoring 25.7 factors per recreation. With Murray at QB, the offense has put up 18.8 factors per recreation.

Yard-wise, the crew manages 357 yards per recreation with Brissett in comparison with 288 with Murray.

The Cardinals offense has been so inconsistent that Marvin Harrison Sr. felt obliged to chime in (h/t Josh Weinfuss ESPN.com) to explain the frustration of watching his son’s offense. Marvin Harrison Jr. replied that “everybody has their very own opinions,” however Murray, who counts $43 million in opposition to the crew’s wage cap, shoulders not less than among the blame.

Kyler Murray’s substantial cap hit complicates state of affairs

Whereas Murray has performed worse than Brissett, his cap hit ($43 million) is the fifth-highest within the NFL this season, complicating his future in Arizona. If the Cardinals reduce him subsequent yr and designate him as a pre-June 1 launch, he’ll rely $57.7 million in opposition to the cap in 2026, a seemingly gargantuan quantity. 

The opposite choice is designating Murray a post-June 1 launch, which might imply $50 million in useless cap for subsequent season and $7.2 million in useless cap for 2027. Brissett’s cap hit for subsequent season is simply $7.2 million, giving Arizona flexibility to draft a rookie quarterback or signal a free agent and keep cap-compliant.

The Denver Broncos confronted an analogous state of affairs final yr after they despatched Russell Wilson packing after two lackluster seasons.

After chopping him within the offseason, the Broncos incurred an NFL-record $85 million in useless cap break up between two seasons. Whereas many thought the cash-strapped Broncos could be consigned to mediocrity, they pivoted and drafted their franchise quarterback, Bo Nix, just a few months later.

Nix mixed better-than-average play and a minuscule cap hit ($3.3 million final yr, $4.2 million this yr) to assist hold the Broncos in competition.

Why Cardinals will not study from Broncos pivot post-Russell Wilson

Rebuilding a roster is tough when $50 million is tied up in useless cap, and Murray is greater than only a high-priced participant — he is a face of the franchise.

The 2-time Professional-Bowler is frequently among the league’s most highly merchandised players; no person’s shopping for a jersey that reads “cap financial savings” on the again.

Whereas Murray is not the quarterback who Gannon drafted or signed, Gannon took this job lower than a yr after Murray signed his extension realizing Murray was the man.

With that being mentioned, Gannon’s seat is heating up. The Cardinals are 15-27 in three and a half seasons with Gannon on the helm, to not point out the $100,000 high quality and nationwide embarrassment stemming from his recent outburst targeting Emari Demarcado. 

For the brief and long run, Arizona should take into account pulling the plug on Murray, and giving the franchise a correct restart.