NFL QB Carousel Heats Up: Insider details Kyler Murray’s future and Jets’ plans

Do you hear that whizzing? The whirling? That's the sound of the NFL quarterback carousel for 2026 already beginning.

This week saw tremors for quarterbacks of what ultimately will be seismic moves to NFL teams in the coming months. In Arizona, a confusing few weeks has led to a Kyler Murray benching and IR stay that may wrap his time in the desert. In Miami, the GM who hitched his wagon to Tua Tagovailoa — and then signed him to a record-breaking deal — is no longer there. And the New York Jets just got enough ammunition to do just about whatever they want at quarterback in 2026.

Half of this season remains, so there's still time for things to play out. What's certain is that the Jets will have a different Week 1 starter in 2026 after trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams — and it might not be a rookie.

The Jets now hold two first-round picks in 2026, three in 2027, and three second-rounders across those two years. That kind of draft capital opens every door imaginable. They could use the picks to draft eight new players, move up or down the board, or even go get a veteran quarterback. There's immense flexibility here.

You can lump the Jets in with the Rams and Browns — two other teams with multiple 2026 first-round picks and questions under center. Matthew Stafford turns 38 in February and is going year-to-year. The Browns still don't know if their 2026 starter is on their roster, someone else's, or still on a college campus.

If the Jets wind up with the top pick in April and believe their future quarterback is there, they can take him and still have plenty of options left. But make no mistake: they now have more buyer power than anyone in the league. I'm not saying they'll definitely go get a quarterback who's already starting somewhere else — I'm just saying they can. Anyone outside the league's top handful of passers could realistically be in play. And if one of those top guys ever wants out, owner Woody Johnson can send the jet for him.

We are still four or five months from Gang Green deciding how they want to game this out. They are far from the only franchise facing an offseason of questions at the game's most important position. 

End of the Kyler era in Arizona?

In Arizona, the Cardinals placed Kyler Murray on injured reserve one month after he suffered a mid-foot injury and one day after head coach Jonathan Gannon said Jacoby Brissett would be the starter even if Murray were healthy.

Multiple executives I spoke with around the league expressed doubt Murray will play again for the Cardinals this season should they be unable to turn things around. Arizona is 3-5 and Murray can't return until Week 14 at the earliest. Brissett has been the better quarterback according to most statistics, and if Arizona is ready to move on, the franchise would not want to risk injury to Murray and hurt his trade status.

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John Breech

Murray is set to count $53.26 million against the cap next year. He has $36.8 million that is guaranteed for 2026 and another $19.5 million that will vest the third week of March. Such a high figure means teams like the Browns or Dolphins or Saints couldn't fit him under the cap without a lot of work.

One NFC executive predicted a landing spot for Murray, even if the team is unknown just yet: “Eat some money and trade him to where Kliff (Kingsbury) goes as a head coach, if he gets one.”

Kingsbury is the offensive coordinator in Washington, where the Commanders are also outside the NFC playoff picture. Kingsbury and Murray have known each other since Murray was a high school sensation in Texas; Kingsbury recruited Murray when he was the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M and of course was hired by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 to set up the dawn of the Murray era. 

Dolphins between rock and a hard place with Tua

Financially speaking, moving Murray would be easier than the Dolphins moving Tagovailoa, who has $54 million fully guaranteed next year. Releasing him would result in the largest dead-money hit in NFL history, but trading him wouldn't be easy to do. Tagovailoa has an injury history, and like Murray he doesn't have the best reputation around the league, especially after his players-only meeting gaffe at the press conference earlier this season.

Miami paying down some of the contract has been floated as an option, but the Dolphins would need to pay a significant chunk to move him to a team that ultimately becomes interested.

Because of the money, the value in return and the lack of potential bidders, one executive said the best option will be for Tagovailoa to remain in Miami.

“It may be worth going one more year with him, especially if Mike [McDaniel] is there,” one personnel source said.

“He's going to be there,” said another personnel executive.

Quick-hitters on other veteran QBs

• The Colts made it clear this week they intend to re-sign Daniel Jones, who I'm told “loves the city, coaches and team.” Seeing as how Indy doesn't have any first-round picks, this could be their only option. 
• The Steelers hope, at least for now, that Aaron Rodgers won't be done playing after this season.
• Baker Mayfield will be entering the final year of his contract so an extension will be important in Tampa. 
• Minnesota didn't add a veteran backup at the trade deadline so they could look to re-sign Carson Wentz.
• The Raiders traded for Geno Smith in March and signed him to a contract extension that really only guaranteed he would be there for 2025. Vegas can get out of the deal by mid March by releasing Smith and owing him just $18.5 million in 2026 salary.

Worth a longer nugget: Keep an eye on Mac Jones. He signed a two-year deal worth $8.4 million with the 49ers this past offseason in large part because of the instability he had experienced already in his career. But this was always the risk he ran by doing that.

Jones has outperformed his contract already with five wins on the season, and he has a base salary of just $2.8 million next year. The Niners have no reason to trade Jones for anything less than a Day 2 pick. If they do deal him this offseason, you could expect them to do Jones a solid and make sure he goes somewhere ready to give him a legitimate contract extension.

Everyone loves a quarterback redemption story in the NFL these days after what we have seen from Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones. Jones is enjoying his turn at it. And, perhaps next year, the same will be said for guys like Murray and Tagovailoa if they land somewhere else.

Why didn't the Jets trade Hall or Johnson?

The New York Jets wowed the entire league with sending away two All Pro players Tuesday. Every person I've spoken to believes the Jets won both trades, especially the Colts deal. It's a testament to how the Jets, led by GM Darren Mougey, set their value on players and did not budge when emotions may have crept in.

And that's why, I'm told, the Jets did not trade running back Breece Hall or edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. The 24-year-old running back and 26-year-old edge rusher remain with the Jets because no team gave Gang Green what they required to part with them.

For Johnson, the Jets wanted a second-round pick. Several teams, including the 49ers, had interest in Johnson. A third-round pick was even offered for him. Mougey wouldn't do it. Similarly, the Chiefs had a fourth on the table for Hall, but the Jets wanted a third. Again, no deal was reached.

It is now on head coach Aaron Glenn, hired both for his defensive acumen as well as his leader-of-men qualities, to keep the locker room together after sending away two of their best players in a year that was lost more than a month ago.

One wise NFC personnel man broke it down for me like this: “I think it's really tough from a locker room standpoint, but otherwise I thought they did really well. They know it's about the quarterback. …Maybe it helps the locker room perception that the only trades they did make yielded mega hauls.”

Two other post-deadline scoops

• I'm told the price to acquire Trey Hendrickson was a second-round selection, not a first. Still, the Bengals did not unload him ahead of the deadline, and it's possible — though unlikely — Cincinnati does this all over again in 2026 as it has the ability to franchise tag him. It was always going to be difficult for a contending team to take his $8 million in remaining salary under their 2025 cap, and Cincinnati would never eat any of the deal to facilitate a trade.
• Elsewhere, the Dolphins refused to come off their asking price of a first-round pick and then some for Jaylen Waddle. One source indicated the “then some” was a third rounder. I believe more than one team would have done the deal if it were a straight first, and there was a thought the Dolphins would accept less as the deadline neared. No dice, obviously.

Change-up in Browns front office

It will be interesting to see if the Cleveland Browns wind up filling the position vacated by Paul DePodesta, who left this week to take over the Colorado Rockies (DePodesta was a key figure of the A's Moneyball era and was played by Jonah Hill in the movie). He had been with the Browns since 2016 as the chief strategy officer, but he lived in California and folks within the organization were always hard-pressed to explain what exactly DePodesta did for the team. 

Interestingly enough, one league executive speculated there could be a Game of Thrones like situation with the Browns for the next two months as people try to grab duties once held by DePodesta. Even though no one knew what he did. Call it the DeParadox.

Four thoughts from low-scoring Raiders-Broncos game

I spent Friday morning watching Thursday night's Raiders-Broncos game because I was on assignment for a piece I can't wait for you all to see in the coming weeks. It was a unique experience for me watching a game I knew the outcome to already (the Broncos won, 10-7), so I have a few thoughts to share.

1. First, one of the best things the NFL did was getting rid of the one-shell rule for helmets so that teams like the Broncos could wear those throwbacks. I do think Denver ultimately missed the mark on their new uniforms, so being able to fall back on the classics is crucial. And to do it against a team with a historic uniform like the Raiders makes it even better.

2. Second, and more importantly, it was stunning to watch the Raiders actually lose that game. Waiting to board my flight watching the game I kept saying over and over again, “How?,” especially in the first half.

3. Third, it's time to put Vance Joseph in the mix for another head coach opportunity. He interviewed last cycle with the Jets and Raiders (you think Thursday had a little extra to it?) before going back to Denver. The defensive coordinator has the league's third-best scoring defense today at 17.3 points allowed. And when accounting for defensive scores, the Broncos had the best net scoring defense in the league last year at 16 points per game. Denver's 46 sacks through 10 games are the fourth most by any team since 1980, per CBS Sports Research. 

Consider the Broncos offense has the third-shortest average drive time, which isn't helping the defense. Looking back at Thursday, four times the Raiders started possessions with 51 or fewer yards to the goal line. They scored seven points.

Denver has four games in national TV windows remaining. If this keeps up, the entire NFL won't be able to ignore it.