With the Las Vegas Raiders no longer in position to have a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it’s looking like they may not be able to land their quarterback of the future. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t appealing veterans who could become available.
One player who may be on the move is Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. The former No. 1 pick has had some high-highs since getting drafted by the team but he’s consistently faded in the second half of seasons. There was a point in the season where the Cardinals were 6-4 and appeared to be headed toward the playoffs.
They’ve not lost five of their last six games and are going to finish with a losing record for the fourth time since Murray was drafted. Perhaps a fresh start could be what’s best for the quarterback and The Athletic’s Tashan Reed floated the idea of the Raiders trading for him.
“The Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray is the top option who could be available,” Reed wrote in a Jan. 1 column. “He signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract in 2022 and has three years remaining on his deal, but the Cardinals have missed the playoffs for three seasons in a row and might be looking for a change. They would take a dead cap hit of $33.2 million if they traded Murray, however, so the trade package would likely need to blow them away. Murray will be only 28 next season and ranks in the top 14 in completion percentage, passing yards and expected points added per dropback, so it’s easy to see the Cardinals just deciding to hold on to him.”
Would Cardinals Actually Trade Kyler Murray?
Murray is a good quarterback. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler and only 27 years old. He’s also one of the best athletes playing the position right now.
The concern with him is that he may not have the drive to get the Cardinals over the hump. While restarting at quarterback is always a tough decision, Colin Cowherd believes that Arizona could consider moving him.
“I was always a defender on Kyler Murray because I thought he was a better version talent-wise of Russell Wilson. I thought he was more elusive and threw a better ball. He is historically small. He’s 5-8 and a half, but in the last six games: five touchdowns, eight picks and a passer rating in the 70s,” Cowherd said on the Dec. 30 episode of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.”
“If you got him the right team – I think Arizona’s going to have a discussion to see if they can move him. I really do.”
What Would It Cost to Get Murray?
It’s difficult to know what kind of value the Cardinals could get for Murray. He’s an above-average starting quarterback but his contract is massive. Plus, his late-season woes could scare a lot of teams.
It’s possible that Cardianls could at least recoup a first-round pick. It’s very difficult to find quarterbacks and even though he’s got a big contract, he’s the 10th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL right now. The Raiders might not make sense as they really need a strong leader at the position. Murray would be better suited to join a team that already has plenty of leadership. The Pittsburgh Steelers could be a very interesting spot for him if they move on from Russell Wilson.
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