A year ago, there was so much optimism about Kyler Murray. He was healthy again. He was coming off a strong season. The Arizona Cardinals seemed convinced he was on the verge of becoming the dangerous, explosive quarterback that he once was. But Murray’s 2025 season was a disaster. He played in only five games thanks to a foot injury, and when he did play, he didn\u2019t play well. And now his time in Arizona is done. The Cards told him they will release him next Wednesday, a source confirmed, assuming they can\u2019t find a trading partner before then. [2026 NFL Free Agency: The Top 100 Players Available and Potential Fits] And once that divorce is official, it\u2019ll leave the 28-year-old Murray at a crossroads, with most of the NFL wondering if he has anything left. “He\u2019s not the same player anymore, but probably has more talent than most of the other [free agents],” an NFC scout told me. “Health is a huge wild card. But if he\u2019s healthy, he\u2019s worth a shot for someone.” So who would want to give him a shot to revive his fading career? Here\u2019s a look at three of his best possible destinations, either in free agency or in a trade. 3. Pittsburgh Steelers If Aaron Rodgers decides to return to Pittsburgh, then this option is off the table. In that case, the New York Jets might be the third team on this list. For now, though, at least one NFL source told me the Jets are not as high on Murray as many think they are. And Murray surely knows that the Jets are a place where quarterbacks go to die. The Steelers should really interest Murray because they were talented enough to win 10 games and their division last season. They are also now coached by Mike McCarthy, who remains one of the league’s premier offensive minds. He also runs a system that has been very friendly to mobile quarterbacks, which should help Murray, even if he\u2019s not as mobile as he once was. Again, Murray wouldn\u2019t be the Steelers\u2019 top choice. But if Rodgers retires, or goes elsewhere, he should be high on their alternate list. He\u2019s a little bit of a reclamation project, like Rodgers was, but he\u2019s young enough to have more of an upside. The Steelers also don\u2019t have a young, franchise quarterback-in-waiting, so Murray would almost certainly have a full season, and maybe more, to start. 2. Miami Dolphins This might be Murray\u2019s quickest path to a starting job, especially with the Dolphins seemingly ready to absorb the enormous cap hit and move on from Tua Tagovailoa. It does seem like Malik Willis is the preferred quarterback for new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new coach Jeff Hafley \u2014 both of whom knew Willis in Green Bay. But Willis should have better options than Miami, which could open that door for Murray. It\u2019s not a good door, really. The Dolphins feel like they\u2019re rebuilding and have been a dysfunctional franchise. But even without wide receiver Tyreek Hill, they do have some speedy weapons that new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik can work with if he has the right quarterback. Quinn Ewers doesn\u2019t seem like the right quarterback there. Murray isn\u2019t their long-term answer, either, but he could be a decent short-term fit. 1. Minnesota Vikings If there\u2019s interest here \u2014 and it sure sounds like there will be \u2014 Murray would be crazy to pass up this opportunity, even if it\u2019s not a guaranteed path to a starting job. If anyone can resurrect his career and help him find his old self, it\u2019s Kevin O\u2019Connell, one of the best quarterback whisperers in the league. Just ask Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones. Multiple NFL sources said the Vikings will definitely be in the market for a veteran quarterback to either push or replace J.J. McCarthy, in what is a critical year for the 2024 first-round pick. They tried to do that last year after they let Darnold go, but they couldn\u2019t keep Jones and decided against signing Aaron Rodgers. They\u2019re not going to miss out on some McCarthy insurance this time around. If Murray is healthy, he\u2019s better than McCarthy, though it\u2019s possible the Vikings will give McCarthy as much of a shot at the job as he needs. But Murray has to see the benefits of resetting himself, even if there\u2019s a chance he spends most of the season on the bench. One year in Minnesota and he\u2019ll surely have a new outlook around the rest of the league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A year ago, there was so much optimism about Kyler Murray. He was healthy again. He was coming off a strong season. The Arizona Cardinals seemed convinced he was on the verge of becoming the dangerous, explosive quarterback that he once was. But Murray’s 2025 season was a disaster. He played in only five games<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32322\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}