Copyright Nbc Sports
After Monday night’s win over the Cowboys, Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said that Kyler Murray remains the team’s starting quarterback, despite the performance of Jacoby Brissett. On Tuesday, Gannon said Brissett will start on Sunday in Seattle. Gannon explained that the decision relates to Murray’s lingering foot injury — only three days after Gannon said Murray could have a role on Monday night against the Cowboys. So why announce on Tuesday that Brissett will start? “I think, you know, with the clarity that it provides, game-planning for our team, I think that’s important,” Gannon said. But that clarity can be provided privately, without making it easier for the Seahawks to prepare for Murray and/or Brissett. It’s also possible that, in the aftermath of the NBA’s gambling scandal and Baltimore’s “mistake” on its Week 8 injury report regarding quarterback Lamar Jackson, the league office is trying to minimize gamesmanship that creates an important piece of inside information. Last week, Gannon announced that Brissett would start when the injury report rules didn’t require it. This week, Gannon has issued the proclamation five full days before kickoff, with no obligation to do so. It would be foolish to assume the NFL didn’t have a hand in Arizona’s sudden decision to overcomply with the rules. Beyond the surprising willingness to be more transparent than required, the situation puts the team in a delicate spot. Murray is the starter, and he’s being paid accordingly. Brissett, however, is playing better than Murray did. With Murray injured (but, we’re told, healing), the Cardinals can kick the can by saying Brissett is healthy and Murray isn’t. It remains to be seen how long that lasts. If the Cardinals eventually say Murray will play when he’s 100 percent, what happens when he is? The better approach is to take it one week at a time, and to see how things go under Brissett. If he regresses, Murray could suddenly be healthy. Then there’s the question of whether Murray will even be on the team in 2026. It feels as if a divorce is coming, possibly in the form of a trade. If the Cardinals officially bench a healthy Murray, that will make it harder to maximize the return. Murray’s contract pays him $39.8 million, fully guaranteed, in 2026. Another $19.5 million in 2027 base salary becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2026 league year. If the Cardinals send the message that they’re moving on from Murray, interested teams will try to squeeze the Cardinals into paying a sizable chunk of the money. Then there’s the possibility that the Cardinals won’t find a suitor. If that’s the case, they may have to cut him. Which would give them a business incentive to ensure that Murray is healthy when the next $19.5 million becomes fully guaranteed in four months. Which would mean keeping him off the field for the rest of the season. For now, the various factors are combining to prompt the Cardinals to continue to ride with Brissett. If the Cardinals are thinking about life without Murray in 2026, they may try to keep him in bubble wrap for the final nine weeks of the regular season.
