Cardinals GM on Kyler Murray: All options are on the table

Cardinals leadership has stood behind Kyler Murray as the franchise quarterback throughout most of his career, but Arizona is entering the offseason without the same level of clarity.

General manager Monti Ossenfort was noncommittal on the Cardinals’ future at quarterback when he and owner Michael Bidwill met with the media on Monday after firing head coach Jonathan Gannon.

The Cardinals went 3-14 this past season, and Ossenfort said anything is possible when it comes to quarterback.

“We just came off the last game of the year and less than 24 hours ago we just left the field,” Ossenfort told reporters. “There’ll be a time and place for those discussions.  I’d say all options are on the table, whether it’s quarterback or any other position. We’re gonna investigate all those to improve the team.”

Ossenfort explained that the Cardinals are not specifically looking for an offensive-minded head coach to tailor to Murray or another quarterback but simply the “best head coach” and “best fit.”

Murray is under contract for another two years with a club option in 2028, and he is owed $36.8 million guaranteed in 2026. Another $19.5 million gets tacked on if he is on the roster on the fifth day of the league new year in March, giving the the Cardinals a timeline on how to proceed.

This was an odd year for Murray and the Cardinals, as he did not play after suffering a foot injury in an embarrassing Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

He missed the next two games after questionable designations on the injury report. Ahead of a Week 8 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, Gannon said Murray would not start but “could still have a role on game day.”

Murray ended up not playing, Brissett was named the starting quarterback moving forward and Murray was placed on injured reserve, where he’d remain for the rest of the season. That led to speculation that Murray’s tenure with the Cardinals was coming to a close.

Brissett put up better individual stats than Murray in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s offense, but he finished 1-11 as the starter.

Ossenfort and Gannon inherited Murray, who has been Arizona’s starter since being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft. Murray won the Offensive Rookie of the Year and made two Pro Bowls early in his career, showing flashes of excellence without sustained success. He signed a five-year extension ahead of the 2022 season, and new leadership remained steadfast that he was the guy to build around.

Murray went 13-17 in 30 games started under Gannon, Petzing and Ossenfort.

“ I think what we have to do is we have to look long and hard at this season and what happened,” Ossenfort said. “Things didn’t work out. Kyler was injured this year. Jacoby stepped in and played well. We will see what that leads to. … Those discussions are for another day, not the day after the season has ended.”

The Cardinals will start their head coaching search without a stated timeline and the playoffs are set to begin this weekend. Arizona also sports the No. 3 overall pick in a consequential offseason to get back in a positive direction.

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