Kyler Murray is healthy enough to play at this point. According to Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, the quarterback is “fully healthy”, and he didn’t have a practice designation on Thursday or Friday after practicing in full on Wednesday. So why is he designated as doubtful to play on Sunday versus the Baltimore Ravens?

Well, it goes well beyond a single game. It’s a business decision, and it could affect the future of the franchise in multiple ways.

When the Cardinals signed Kyler Murray to an extension last year, the situation was completely different. The team was still trying to win, Steve Keim was the general manager, and Kliff Kingsbury was the head coach. None of these factors are still true, including the first one: the team is not focused on winning games right now. The Cardinals are 1-6, and realistically they have no shot at the playoffs, for instance.

So the focus is next season and beyond. And Kyler Murray may be part of those considerations, but might not. And there are more than enough reasons to be cautious with his return.

Money

The biggest reason for concern is that Murray has $40 million left on his contract in injury guarantees. The Cardinals will probably trade and not release Murray even if they decide to move on, but the financial flexibility has to be a factor. His 2025 ($18 million) and 2026 ($22.835 million) base salaries become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league previous year — so $18 million in 2024, and the rest in 2025. But that amount of money is fully guaranteed for injury. So if Murray can’t pass a physical before being released, for example, that generates extra $40 million costs in dead money for the Cardinals.

And we have seen teams protect themselves against injury guarantees when they know they can or will move on from a player. Washington did that with Robert Griffin III, and last year the Las Vegas Raiders benched Derek Carr for the same reason.

Draft capital

Right now, the Arizona Cardinals would have the second overall pick, after the Chicago Bears (who would receive the first pick from the winless Carolina Panthers). In a class with two quarterback prospects, it’s easy to see where it can take the franchise — Caleb Williams or, more likely, Drake Maye. But for that to happen, they need to keep losing a lot of games.

Therefore, for long-term reasons, it makes sense to be patient with Murray. Because the more he plays, the higher is the chance the Cardinals win games and take themselves out of the quarterback race in the draft.

Trade value

The last factor is that it’s impossible to know how Kyler Murray is going to play when he comes back. The supporting cast is not great. So if he plays well, great, but he can take his team out of the Caleb Williams-Drake Maye conversation. And if he plays poorly, he diminishes his trade value for next offseason.

Josh Dobbs has had a 64.7 PFF grade this season. In comparison, Murray had a 67.1 grade last year. The situation is different, for sure, but if Murray doesn’t make the team play better, it might scare potential buyers away. It’s important to have in mind that the next four Cardinals games are against the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, and Houston Texans.

Murray is still a valuable piece, and he has a manageable contract for a potential new team. The Cardinals would keep the signing bonus hit, so the new team would have cap hits of $38.85 million in 2024, $32.6 million in 2025, $42.54 million in 2026, $36.34 million in 2027, and $46.35 million in 2028. It’s not cheap, but it’s very cost-effective in a world in which top quarterbacks are getting almost $60 million per season.

Ideally, Kyler Murray would be back on the field at some point this season. And this still may and probably will happen. But there’s no reason to hurry, and patience should be rewarded in a difficult situation.

What should the Cardinals do with Kyler Murray?

The quarterback’s future is still uncertain.