The Arizona Cardinals will start Jacoby Brissett on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys, marking the journeyman's third straight start under center. Arizona is 0-2 with Brissett at the commands so far, but it seems like Kyler Murray won't quite be up to speed for Monday's game. At least, he won't be healthy enough to start, per head coach Jonathan Gannon.
"He is getting better," Gannon told reporters (h/t ESPN). "He's had some more work this last week, but like I said, he's just not ready to go yet. But as far as, obviously, that position's a little bit different because you got to have a plan ready. That's why I'm just saying Jacoby's starting, but if [Murray] can have a role, he can have a role, but you take it one day at a time."
On the surface ... sure. He's still recovering, and the Cardinals don't want to rush it. But not having a "plan" for Murray seems a bit odd, since he's been running this offense for years now. Brissett hasn't exactly lit up the scoreboard, but he looks better than his 0-2 record might suggest. The 32-year-old is rich with experience and it's clear Arizona has confidence in him, to the point where Murray won't be reinstalled as soon as possible — even with Arizona's season hanging by a thread.
It may be a little conspiratorial to sit here and flash the trade sirens, but Murray is officially halfway through his five-year contract and Arizona has not come particularly close to contending. If this ends up as a gap year, it wouldn't shock anyone to see the Cardinals poke around the QBs at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft. Especially if Monti Ossenfort and the front office can figure out how to offload Murray's salary and reset the timeline.
Here are a few teams well-positioned to target Murray, should he become available.
New York Jets
The New York Jets are stuck in quarterback purgatory right now, an endless cycle of mediocrity. Is Murray the right quarterback to break that spell? Maybe, maybe not. But it might be worth a try, especially since New York has already dug its own grave in 2025. Murray's arrival can help build some winning habits, but he's not going to pull the Jets out of prime NFL Draft territory.
Most folks expect New York to bottom out and draft a quarterback next April. That's a fine plan, but more importantly, Murray's arrival does not necessarily interfere with such a plan. The Jets are planning to start Murray in 2026 and 2027 in making this trade, but that does not preclude them from drafting a quarterback to develop behind Murray in anticipation of a 2028 breakout.
NFL teams have gone away from slow-playing the development of first-round quarterbacks, but so many of the best QBs in the NFL today, not to mention NFL history at large, began their careers on the bench. The 2026 draft features a lot of talented quarterbacks, but none feel like absolute must-starts on day one. New York can bank on Murray to deliver better results in the short term while also mapping out the future. It's a solid plan.
Justin Fields can try to revive his career on a tanking Cardinals team and see what happens next summer. But Arizona gets money off the books and recoups valuable draft capital in the process, marking a successful pivot toward the future.
Las Vegas Raiders
This is basically the same construct as the Jets trade. The Las Vegas Raiders hired the oldest head coach in NFL history in Pete Carroll, which ratchets up the pressure to win games sooner than later. Tom Brady's whole offseason master plan was to fashion the Raiders into a fast contender while still maintaining financial flexibility. It has not worked.
It's probably too late for Murray to save the Raiders' 2025 season, especially with that supporting cast, but he should be able to handle those less-than-ideal circumstances a little bit better than Geno Smith, who has more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (7) through eight weeks.
Smith just looks hapless behind a god-awful Raiders offensive line and he's leaning into his worst instincts as a result. Murray can escape pressure more effectively and at least make the extra effort to keep plays alive. Smith, meanwhile, should look better with Arizona's supporting cast around him.
For the Raiders, it's a chance to build a winning culture on the fly with Murray while potentially developing a 2026 rookie behind him. Smith is under contract for one more season, allowing Arizona to take a similar approach. For all his struggles this season, Smith is still a great mentor figure for a young quarterback if the Cards opt to take that route.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are another NFL team that just can't seem to figure out their quarterback situation. It's a revolving door of disappointment, with each successive starter, planned or not, finding ways to fall short of expectations. It's clear nobody in that building genuinely believes in Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders, and going back to Deshaun Watson is a nonstarter for the NFL's most tortured fan base.
If there's a holdup here, it's the exorbitant salaries of both Watson and Murray, which will put undue strain on the Browns' front office. Perhaps that kills these conversations off the bat, but should Arizona come knocking, it's at least worth listening. In fact, one has to wonder if Arizona might be willing to take on Watson (and his contract, which expires in 2026) for a bit of extra compensation.
That could increase the draft capital Arizona receives in return while giving the Browns a path to a long overdue vibes reset. This season may be lost, but Murray can stabilize the offense and let Cleveland's excellent defense feel like it's putting forth a worthwhile effort every week. As Myles Garrett's frustrations mount, it's probably good business for the Browns to show him they are serious about getting better.
Arizona might never actually put Watson on the field, but if the compensation is right, it's worth a bit of dead salary in 2026. The Cardinals should be in prime position to draft a quarterback in April and their rebuild can take off from there.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins desperately need to cut bait with Tua Tagovailoa and start fresh. Mike McDaniel is coaching for his life every week and the Dolphins just lack the cohesion and quarterback play necessary to uphold his incredibly high standards on offense. Miami needs to reinvigorate the locker room and give guys like Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane confidence that their efforts can be rewarded on any given Sunday.
Murray should accomplish that. He'll need to get up to speed on a complex scheme, but once he settles in, the quick-hitting nature of Miami's offense — not to mention the explosiveness of its playmakers — should help Murray put up some of the best numbers of his career. He's far more nimble in the pocket than Tagovailoa, able to improvise under pressure and deliver off-script throws in a pinch. That's an element the Dolphins offense is lacking at the moment.
As for the Cardinals, it's basically a season-and-change of stopgap play from Tagovailoa before a 2026 draft pick of their choice takes over. Tagovailoa's contract becomes easy to shed after next season, so Arizona needn't invest in him as a serious long-term option unless he comes in and vastly outperforms expectations.
It's interesting to consider how Tagovailoa might look in a non-McDaniel scheme, but odds are, he's just not going to maximize the pieces around him in Arizona. That's fine for a short while, as the Cardinals can begin mapping out their future before Tagovailoa even steps on the field.