Rapoport: Cardinals & Kyler Murray ‘Open To All Options’ This Offseason

According to Ian Rapoport, both the Cardinals and QB Kyler Murray are “open to all options” this coming offseason. 

Murray is making his first start today after tearing his ACL last year and will get the remainder of the season to state his case as a long-term starter, either for the Cardinals or another team. 

If Murray plays well and Arizona wins enough games to fall out of the running for one of the top 2024 quarterback prospects, Rapoport says the Cardinals will likely look to build around Murray with their war chest of draft assets. 

If Arizona has a chance at one of the top prospects, they could look to trade Murray and reset, with Rapoport noting Murray should be in high demand despite his contract. 

The Cardinals owe Murray $54 million in guarantees, some of that for injury, over the next two seasons. Any acquiring team would be taking that on. 

For what it’s worth, Rapoport says the Cardinals have been impressed by working with Murray so far, both with his buy-in to learning OC Drew Petzing‘s system and the athletic ability he’s shown in practice. 

Murray, 26, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cardinals after making the decision to pursue an NFL career, despite being drafted in the first round by the Oakland A’s in 2018. 

Murray signed a four-year, $35,158,644 deal that included a $23,589,924 signing bonus. The Cardinals officially exercised his fifth-year option which is projected to be worth $29.7 million for the 2023 season. 

Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million extension that includes $160 million guaranteed with Arizona last summer. 

In 2022, Murray appeared in 11 games for the Cardinals and completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 2,368 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to go along with 418 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

We’ll have more on the Cardinals and Murray as the news is available.