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The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly seeking to trade quarterback Kyler Murray. In a perfect situation, they will be able to move him to a team that needs him and get back draft compensation.
However, there are cap implications to trading him.
And if they can't trade him and decide they must release him, the implications are worse.
What will moving Murray mean in 2026 with the salary cap? Let's have a look at the different scenarios.
If the Cardinals trade Murray before the $17 million roster bonus that is due March 15, they will save more than $34.7 million against the salary cap, but they will incur more than $17.9 million in dead money against the cap for previously paid bonuses that were prorated against the cap.
If the Cardinals are unable to trade Murray and they release him before March 15, they take a big cap hit. Because of his guaranteed salary, they would be on the hook for his $36.8 million in salary guarantees, thus paying him to not play. They would take a dead cap hit of more than $54.7 million, which would decrease their cap space by more than $2 million.
If he is designated as a post-June 1 release, they will save some cap space. He will still be due the guaranteed salary, but they would only incur a dead cap hit of more than $47.5 million, creating more than $5.1 million in cap space. However, the cap relief would not come until June 2, and they would incur a dead cap hit of another $7.2 million in 2027.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: The salary cap implications for trading or cutting Kyler Murray
Continue reading...
However, there are cap implications to trading him.
And if they can't trade him and decide they must release him, the implications are worse.
What will moving Murray mean in 2026 with the salary cap? Let's have a look at the different scenarios.
Trading Kyler Murray
If the Cardinals trade Murray before the $17 million roster bonus that is due March 15, they will save more than $34.7 million against the salary cap, but they will incur more than $17.9 million in dead money against the cap for previously paid bonuses that were prorated against the cap.
Cutting Kyler Murray
If the Cardinals are unable to trade Murray and they release him before March 15, they take a big cap hit. Because of his guaranteed salary, they would be on the hook for his $36.8 million in salary guarantees, thus paying him to not play. They would take a dead cap hit of more than $54.7 million, which would decrease their cap space by more than $2 million.
If he is designated as a post-June 1 release, they will save some cap space. He will still be due the guaranteed salary, but they would only incur a dead cap hit of more than $47.5 million, creating more than $5.1 million in cap space. However, the cap relief would not come until June 2, and they would incur a dead cap hit of another $7.2 million in 2027.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: The salary cap implications for trading or cutting Kyler Murray
Continue reading...
