The Arizona Cardinals could use a loophole to their advantage in order to move on from Kyler Murray without having to pay him.
Murray was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start the season, keeping him out for at least the team’s first four games. The first overall pick of 2019 is recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered last December in a game against the New England Patriots.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggested that Arizona could use a loophole that would help them move on from Murray, who signed a five-year contract extension worth $230.5 million last offseason:
“If the Cardinals are contemplating a future without the first pick in the 2019 draft, it definitely makes good business sense to keep him on the Physically Unable to Perform list not just for the first four weeks but for the entire 2022 season.
Here’s the full breakdown of the Murray contract. He has $29.9 million in 2025 compensation that becomes fully guaranteed in March of 2024. Thus, if he suffers an injury this season and can’t pass a physical by March, the Cardinals will be on the hook for his $37 million in 2024 (that’s unavoidable at this point) and another $29.9 million in 2025. (Murray also has another $26.8 million in 2026 injury guarantees.)
Although a trade after 2023, if that’s what would happen, would shift much of the money to a new team, Murray’s new team might not want to take on nearly $67 million, fully guaranteed. Especially if he can’t pass a physical in March.”
Many expect Arizona to be one of the worst teams in football this season. They won just four games last year with Murray playing 11 contests, not to mention they also had J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Byron Murphy and Zach Allen on their roster.
Arizona figures to be a contender for the first overall pick, which would give them the chance to draft USC Trojans’ quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. So it’s not at all a stretch to imagine a scenario where the Cardinals cut ties with Murray after this season and replace him with a younger and healthier option.
