Murray himself posted a farewell on social media.
That means that once the move is official, he will be a free agent and possibly one of the most sought-after quarterbacks on the market.Advertisement
The Cardinals will have to pay the $36.8 million in guarantees owed to him in 2026 with offsets. He can sign with a team for the league minimum ($1.3 million for his level of league experience), and the Cardinals will pay the remaining $35.5 million.
The Cardinals and the salary cap
With Murray’s pending release, there are salary cap implications.
A reporter posted on X that, “per league rules,” the Cardinals can’t release him until the new year. That would only be the case if they intend to use a post-June 1 designation.
Due to previously paid guarantees and bonuses that do not immediately count against the salary cap, they must account for $54.7 million in dead money. Because his contract currently counts about $52.7 million against the salary cap, an outright release would cause them to lose about $2 million in cap space to account for dead money.
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By releasing him next week in the new league year and designating him as a post-June 1 cut, they can spread the dead money over two seasons.
They will keep their entire $52.7 million cap hit through June 2 and then gain about $5.1 million in cap space, carrying $47.5 million in dead money. They would incur $7.2 million in dead money in 2027 from the remaining bonus proration.
What’s next for Kyler Murray?
Murray will be the best quarterback available. The teams that make the most sense are the following:
What happens now with the Cardinals at quarterback?
Following Murray’s release, Jacoby Brissett and Kedon Slovis are the remaining quarterbacks on the roster. If Brissett stays, we can expect the Cardinals to sign a free agent and perhaps draft one.
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It’s possible Brissett could be traded. Two teams reportedly have interest. His contract and his play last season make him very negotiable. In that case, the Cardinals could sign two and draft another.
The names to watch in free agency are Malik Willis and Jimmy Garoppolo, while quarterbacks expected to be released like Murray that the Cardinals could consider also include Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins ​​and Tua Tagovailoa.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Kyler Murray to be released by Arizona Cardinals and will be a free agent