A Heisman Trophy winner and former first-overall draft pick is hitting the free-agent market.
Apparently unable to trade Kyler Murray, the Arizona Cardinals have informed the one-time franchise quarterback they intend to release him, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Murray is still due $36.8 million this season, nearly all of which will be paid by the Cardinals.
Now, though, another team can pick him up for the veteran’s minimum, allowing Murray to find the perfect fit for himself without immediate financial considerations.
A former baseball prospect who was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, Murray returned to Oklahoma that fall where he ultimately earned Heisman Trophy honors. The following spring, Murray would be taken first overall by the Cardinals in the first round of the NFL Draft.
But although he won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 and was later given a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension, Murray struggled under head coach Jonathan Gannon while battling injuries in 2023 and 2025.
Now, with Gannon fired and incoming head coach Mike LaFleur remaking the roster, the 5ft10in quarterback is among the first out the door in Arizona.
Kyler Murray has battled inconsistency and injury problems in two of the last three seasons
NFL athletes (L-R) Kyler Murray, Odell Beckham Jr. and Marquise Brown attend Game Four of the 2023 Western Conference Semis between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets
Murray bid his fans in Arizona farewell in a social media post on Tuesday.
‘To everyone that supported me and showed kindness to my family and I during my time in AZ, from the bottom of my heart, thank you,’ he wrote on X.
‘I wanted nothing more than to be the one to end the 77 year drought for this organization, I am sorry I failed us. I wish this community and my brothers nothing but the best.’
‘I am no stranger to adversity, I am prepared for whatever’s next. I trust in God and my work ethic. I truly believe my best ball is in front of me and I look forward to proving it.
‘Godspeed.’
