The Arizona Cardinals failed to come anywhere close to expectations in their third season under the current regime.
A case-by-case evaluation into who’s on the hot seat and what the end result might be once the offseason takes hold. Last up in the series is quarterback Kyler Murray.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
Seven years in Arizona have come and gone for Murray.
And aside from a promising start and some impressive stretches, Murray hasn’t lived up to the franchise signal caller label nor his No. 1 overall pick price tag.
Now, some of that is on the powers that be above him. Even the best quarterbacks need stability and clear direction up top. But Murray isn’t impervious to blame.
Sure, he’s a video game highlight waiting to happen. He can do things most other quarterbacks can only dream of when he has the ball in his hands. His Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and two Pro Bowl nods were big-time accomplishments for a young player that should be acknowledged.
But the highlights and honors mentioned (which came early into Murray’s tenure) can only get you so far in the NFL and are greatly outweighed by his 38-48-1 mark as Arizona’s starter.
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Can Murray revive his career? Absolutely. The talent is there. But it’s likely not coming as a Cardinal.
Seven years — albeit with some time missed due to a torn ACL — is a long enough sample size to make a move off Murray a must-do this offseason.
Even if it requires Arizona eating dead money with an outright release, a split is best for both sides involved.
This season was the final nail in the coffin.
After sputtering through five weeks of the season, Murray was shut down for the remainder of the year with a midfoot sprain. He seemingly went from running around the practice field one week to landing on injured reserve the next.
Just like that, Murray’s season was over behind a 2-3 mark, 962 passing yards and six touchdowns to three interceptions to go along with 173 rushing yards and a score on 29 carries in what was supposed to be the season he returned to the postseason.
And if the questions weren’t already there for Murray and his future, Jacoby Brissett taking the offense a step forward brought them to the forefront.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said time and time again there weren’t any wholesale changes to the unit with Brissett running the show. But watch the tape and two things jump out, with Brissett operating more under center on top of more play-action looks.
Brissett’s skillset is much more tailored to Petzing’s offensive mindset. He wants to stay in the pocket and let plays develop as opposed to trying to make something happen with legs as soon as pressure is felt.
That’ll typically lead to more sacks and gives the defense one less thing to worry about. From a per-game basis, though, Murray’s 3.2 sacks in five starts are just a sliver below Brissett’s 3.3 mark across 11.
That extra time in the pocket has also helped opened the door for others in the lineup.
Tight end Trey McBride is having a career year with Brissett largely running things in 2025. The biggest stat to take away from their time together is McBride’s 10 touchdowns during that span. He only had six combined in the three seasons before this year.
McBride is also just 101 yards away from hitting the 1,000-yard mark with Brissett. The two have clearly found a connection.
The same goes for wide receiver Michael Wilson. While Marvin Harrison Jr.’s injuries and inconsistencies played roles in Wilson’s come up — same with a more pass-heavy approach offensively — the wide receiver has shown a solid rapport with Brissett.
After just 52 yards in his first five games, Wilson sits at 907 for the season. He’s not only blown out his career marks, adding six touchdowns and 73 catches to the mix, but is now just 93 yards from 1,000.
For anyone doubting the wide receiver’s abilities, he squashed that thinking in Year 3. A change at QB undoubtedly helped with that.
It’s hard to envision Murray back with the Cardinals in 2026 and beyond. It would be one of the most surprising decisions of the offseason if Arizona and Murray were still a packaged deal by the time Week 1 rolled around.
The only way that would happen is if there’s a total housecleaning from general manager on down. And that seems far more unlikely than Murray getting the boot at this point.
Multiple heads need to roll for the failures of this year. Murray is bound to be one of them, allowing those at the very top some more time to right the ship.
Return percentage: 10%
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