Andrew Buller-Russ
On Wednesday, when the NFL’s new league year kicks off at 4 p.m. ET, the Arizona Cardinals are expected to officially release Kyler Murray from their roster. He’ll be free to pick the next team of his choosing, leaving Arizona behind with a depth chart that consists of Jacoby Brissett and the newly signed Gardner Minshew III.
Surely, that’s not a satisfactory group. Some NFL insiders believe more QB moves are coming to Arizona, possibly even a trade involving Brissett to capitalize after a career year.
Meanwhile, others, like Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk, believe the Cardinals could be setting themselves up to chase Kirk Cousins in free agency.
Florio makes a good point, connecting the dots between the Cardinals’ first-year head coach Mike LaFleur to Cousins’ previous coaches like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Cousins was coached by Shanahan and McVay in Washington and by Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota, who, like LaFleur, comes from the McVay tree too.
“New coach Mike LaFleur comes from the McVay-Shanahan hive. And they love them some Kirk Cousins. As LaFleur tries to install his offense, he’ll want a quarterback who can run it. It would be interesting to see Cousins in the same division as McVay and Shanahan, playing both of them twice per year. Cousins needs a place where he’ll be the starter. In Arizona, he would be. Money will be an issue. Cousins has perfected the art of getting paid. He’ll command more than the $10 million the Falcons owe him for 2026.”
PFT’s Mike Florio on Kirk Cousins
In other words, Cousins should have a head start in mastering Arizona’s new offense. Having a chip on his shoulder from not only getting pushed out of Atlanta but also getting to go up against his former coaches could be a positive development for Cousins too.
Plus, if the QB chairs keep moving in a way that leaves him without a starting job, then taking his family to Arizona will start to look better and better by the hour. For a Cardinals team that will want to find their footing quickly, Cousins could help accelerate the process, even if he’s not a long-term solution.
Related: NFL Free Agency Day 1: Biggest Winners & Losers
