Kyler Murray’s departure from the Arizona Cardinals is imminent with his planned release next week.
With the split, one of the Cardinals’ biggest quarterback questions has now been answered. What about the other significant one centered around who will be the Cardinals’ next starting quarterback in the post-Murray era?
From running it back with Jacoby Brissett for the short term to making a splash with Malik Willis, plenty of quarterback options for the Cardinals have been floated around this offseason. Even Jimmy Garoppolo has found his way into the conversation.
As for the most realistic option? He’s already on the roster.
Cardinals’ quarterback options post-Kyler Murray era
The incumbent
Brissett’s two-year deal he signed last offseason looks even more impactful now.
Even before a decision was made on Murray’s future, Brissett presented a clear option to continue his run as Arizona’s starter in 2026.
On top of Brissett playing on a contract that carries a $4.8 million base salary and $9.2 million cap hit for 2026, Brissett is well liked in the locker room and has a 12-game sample size with the franchise already.
Despite a struggling run game and inconsistent offensive line, Brissett managed to provide an offensive spark not seen with Murray in 2025. Instead of cutting and running on the first whiff of pressure, Brissett hung in the pocket and let plays develop.
Among the biggest beneficiaries were tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Michael Wilson, who each put up career numbers with Brissett running the show.
Sure, there have been reports of teams interested in trading for Brissett. But given what Arizona currently possesses at the position, can they really afford to deal him? And what kind of return would that even look like? Getting a Day 3 pick for the veteran isn’t going to move the needle enough.
The low-cost option
I expect Brissett to be on the Cardinals’ roster when the season starts in 2026.
That doesn’t mean Arizona should be completely out on bringing in some competition on a relatively cheap contract.
Why not look to a guy with plenty of experience working under Mike LaFleur in Jimmy Garoppolo?
Garoppolo hasn’t been a double-digit game starter since his final season with San Francisco in 2022. His stint with the Las Vegas Raiders was awfully short behind just six starts. He’s coming off just 41 passes thrown and one start last year with the Los Angeles Rams.
The veteran has, however, spent the past two years backing up Matthew Stafford and learning from head coach Sean McVay and LaFleur.
If anything, Garoppolo is going to have a good idea of what LaFleur wants to accomplish offensively. For a team that is looking to turn things around quickly under the new coaching staff, having someone on board with knowledge of the system and prior starting experience wouldn’t hurt.
Spend the money
OK, time for the Willis conversation.
Look, he shocked a lot of people with his play in 2025 in place of Green Bay Packers franchise QB Jordan Love.
In his four appearances (one start), Willis completed 85.7% of his passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns. He added another 123 yards and two scores on 22 carries.
Of the available options this offseason, Willis is right up there near the top of the list if not at the top.
But with that, comes an expected price increase for his services, with $20 million to $30 million a year sounding like the range for any sort of signing.
Can the Cardinals afford to shell out that kind of dough? According to OverTheCap, the Cardinals have just $19.1 million in effective cap space, which factors in Arizona’s projected NFL Draft class in 2026.
And with plenty of upgrades needed at other spots on the roster — offensive line stands out like a sore thumb — Arizona could be going backwards instead of forward.
There’s also the recent sample size. While it was an impressive stretch for the signal caller, it was only four games with one start. He attempted just 35 throws during that span. Sounds like a serious gamble for a team without many chips to play with.
Get younger
How about landing a rookie quarterback this draft?
The quarterback class has a clear gap between the projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza and everyone else.
He may be the only quarterback taken in the first round of the upcoming draft.
If he is, that could present an opportunity for the Cardinals on Day 2.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson is expected to be the second quarterback taken in the draft and could be available when the Cardinals come back around with the No. 34 overall pick.
He met with the team this NFL Draft Combine and added he would “love to be a Cardinal” after meeting the franchise.
It would be another gamble burning a second-round pick on the signal caller. It would also possibly give the Cardinals a one-year head start on developing a potential franchise option.
Learning from Brissett wouldn’t be a bad thing for Simpson, especially given his track record mentoring Drake Maye in New England.
Worst-case scenario, he doesn’t look the part and the Cardinals have to attack the 2027 NFL Draft. That 2027 route is also likely where this thing is headed with or without the rookie addition.
