The Arizona Cardinals are not advertising any displeasure with quarterback Kyler Murray.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon actually predicted a huge 2025 season for his QB at last week’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
“I’m really excited with where he’s at right now, I really am,” Gannon said. “And I’m not gonna make any power statements, but he’s gonna have a hell of a year — I know that.”
But some league sources have wondered aloud that the Cardinals might not hang up the phone if a call came in about what it would cost to pry Murray, 27, free from the desert.
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, told Atlanta owner Arthur Blank that he wants to be somewhere he can start in 2025, The MMQB reported.
News like that invites trade calls on Cousins at minimum, even though initial impressions at the Combine were that Atlanta would hang on to the veteran QB.
And Seahawks starter Geno Smith is also viewed as a possible trade target for the Las Vegas Raiders, per Yahoo! Sports, to a club that is reportedly continuing to explore the veteran trade route after missing on Matthew Stafford.
In other words, three more established starting quarterbacks may flood the currently underwhelming market via trade as the start of free agency’s legal negotiating period looms Monday.
What this does is add an extra level of unpredictability to the searches of teams like the Giants, Jets, Raiders, Browns, Titans, Seahawks and Colts for their 2025 starting QB.
The free agent quarterback market is thin and underwhelming, led by the Vikings’ Sam Darnold. Stafford is off the board as the Giants’ and Raiders’ top option after deciding to stay with the Rams.
The Giants continue to be linked to Aaron Rodgers, 41, as a potential Plan B in their desperate search for a quarterback who can both win games and nurture a rookie — with Rodgers’ first choice in L.A. no longer an option.
They could sign him as a free agent once he’s officially released by the Jets, rather than expending assets in a trade for a player like Murray or Cousins. Rodgers invites a lot more than football to the building, though, too.
These options all must be considered in the context of April’s NFL Draft and teams’ opinions of Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, as well.
And a team’s investment in a veteran trade could shed light on its intentions for the draft.
At any rate, there would be no harm in Giants GM Joe Schoen calling the Cardinals and finding out just how long — if at all — Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort would be willing to listen.
Murray only stands 5-10, 207 pounds, but he is an entrenched NFL starter with mobility.
ESPN reported Friday that one source said there is “zero” chance of the Cardinals trading Murray. That kind of trade would be too delicate for anyone to publicly admit was a certainty, however, unless or until it actually came to pass.
Ossenfort recently said “everything’s on the table” in reference to bringing in competition at all positions, quarterback included.
“I think you can never have enough competition at any spot,” the GM said. “We never wanna get to a point where we’re just handing jobs out. So we’re gonna look to add, whether that’s free agency, the draft. Yeah, I think that’s absolutely an avenue at [the] quarterback room … any position on our team that we’re gonna look to add.”
Never say never. When teams are this desperate for quarterbacks, it’s a no-brainer to pick up the phone and at least make the call.