Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray did not appear in the team's Monday Night Football primetime victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. Jacoby Brissett started instead and was very effective, completing 21-of-31 passing attempts for 261 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
Murray suffered a foot injury in a Week 5 defeat to the Tennessee Titans. Brissett has started three consecutive contests. The expectation was that the Heisman-winning quarterback would have been healthy enough to return by now. The Cardinals' handling has fueled speculation that Murray has subtly been benched by head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Murray had thrown for 962 yards and five touchdowns in five appearances before getting injured. Murray had been playing risk-averse football, averaging six yards per passing attempt. Perhaps the Cardinals are using his foot injury as cover for a soft benching.
Whether Murray was benched or not, the Cardinals may attempt to trade him this offseason. Murray's days may be numbered in Arizona. We've identified three potential offseason landing spots via trade.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are struggling at 2-6. The decision to acquire Geno Smith in the offseason has netted disastrous returns. Smith is struggling mightily. The Raiders could release Smith next offseason while absorbing a reasonable $18.5 million in dead money.
If Pete Carroll survives this season and doesn't go one-and-done, does he possess the patience required to help oversee a legitimate rebuild? That's probably what's needed in Vegas, but the 74-year-old Carroll is a proven winner who prefers resets over rebuilds. Cutting Smith and acquiring Murray via trade could be a reasonable plan in Vegas unless the Raiders undergo changes this offseason.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are another organization in flux. They recently fired general manager Chris Grier and replaced him with Champ Kelly on an interim basis. The Dolphins are having a fire sale at the NFL trade deadline, already trading pass rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Will Mike McDaniel still be the Dolphins' coach next season? Will Tua Tagovailoa be the quarterback? Both of their fates will be determined by the next full-time general manager. If the Dolphins aren't drafting early enough to select Ty Simpson, Dante Moore, or Fernando Mendoza, they could pivot to a veteran option like Murray.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in win-now mode with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. The 5-3 Steelers possess a comfortable two-game lead in the AFC North. Even if they don't capture the division title, they appear playoff-bound as a wild-card team.
Rodgers is playing on a one-year contract. The expectation is that Rodgers will retire at the conclusion of this campaign. Mike Tomlin's competitive teams have had difficulty finding a long-term quarterback ever since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement. Regularly drafting late in the first round has made that task even harder. Unless the Steelers are trading up in 2026, or drafting a project like LaNorris Sellers in the 20s or 30s, it may be another band-aid solution a la Russell Wilson and Justin Fields next season. Murray would be on the shortlist.