It feels like the Kyler Murray trade rumors have existed for a long time.
But up to this point, that's all they've been, rumors. The former No. 1 overall pick has been the Arizona Cardinals' franchise quarterback from the moment he showed up in town.
Those days could still be running short, though, as Murray has struggled to deliver anything of real consequence to the desert.
ESPN's Seth Walder thinks a Murray trade will finally hit in two years.
"The Cardinals will trade quarterback Kyler Murray before the 2027 season," Walder wrote on Monday. "After two seasons in which they are competitive but not threatening true contention, they will decide to deal Murray -- who will have two non-guaranteed years left on his deal at that point -- rather than extend him again. Arizona will recoup real draft capital in the deal from a team that will instantly upgrade at the most important position."
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Murray just turned 28 years old last week, so he'd be 30 at the start of the 2027 season. That's still a long career potentially ahead of the dual-threat quarterback.
At Murray's size and with his dependency on athleticism for a lot of what he does, there's no guarantee that he'll age well. There haven't been a lot of QBs fitting his description to base expectations on.
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The line of Walder's prediction that hits closest to home for Cardinals fans has to be, "two seasons in which they are competitive but not threatening true contention."
That's what most of the Murray era has felt like.
He's clearly talented, and he makes a lot of big plays, and his teammates seem to like him. But somehow, it just hasn't worked out for Arizona to win anything notable with Murray in town. If that continues, it makes sense that he'd eventually be shipped away.
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