Kyler Murray and Kellen Moore may share more than the same initials when the 2026 NFL season rolls around.
The quarterback’s and head coach’s future could become intertwined.
Murray, who is currently on the Arizona Cardinals injured reserve list with a foot injury, may have played his final game as a Cardinals. That is especially true if current starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett continues to set NFL records.
All indications are that Arizona is ready to move on from the team’s first overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft and start over with a quarterback selected by the organization’s new regime which includes GM Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jon Gannon.
So where will Murray land?
As the Cards attempt to deal him this offseason? Three teams stand out as being in need of a starting quarterback in 2026 — the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Jets and Moore’s New Orleans Saints.
Aaron Rodgers told everyone before the season he planned to play just one year for the Steelers and the broken left wrist he suffered last week may have cemented those plans.
Is Murray a fit in Pittsburgh? Probably not. The Steelers haven’t gone with a running-type quarterback since Kordell Stewart. And “Slash’’ last played for the Steelers in 2002, five years before Mike Tomlin became head coach.
The Jets have seen enough of Justin Fields that they are going with journeyman Tyrod Taylor as their starter this week and likely for the rest of another lost season.
Who knows what the Jets are going to do?
But if Murray has any say in where he goes (and he may not) it won’t be to the Jets.
New Orleans benched second-year man Spencer Rattler for rookie Tyler Though, and neither seem to be the long-term answer for Moore’s offense. Murray could be.
Moore had success under Mike McCarthy in Dallas with Dak Prescott and watched Jalen Hurts win a Super Bowl MVP in Philadelphia his one year under Nick Sirianni with the Eagles.
Murray, when healthy, has been good. Like Hurts, his running ability is special but may need be coached a little better. He took the Cards to the playoffs in 2021 and saw them just miss last year at 8-9. Arizona was 2-3, with three last-second losses before Murray’s foot injury.
Moore and the Saints may be the perfect landing spot for him.
Little Irony
What Mike Vrabel has done in his first season as head coach of the Patriots cannot be understated.
New England is 9-2 for the first time since 2019, which was Tom Brady’s final season with the Pats. Brady lost in the first round of the playoffs that season, however. Who beat the Patriots?
Mike Vrable and the Tennessee Titans.
Going for the Record
Josh Allen, who ran for three touchdowns in the Bills win over Tampa Bay last week, needs just one more to move past Cam Newton for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history.
Allen and Newton are currently tied with 75. Third on the all-time list is Jalen Hurts with 61.
He still needs one, as the Bills fell to Houston 23-19.
Tale of Two Cities
New York and Chicago are different in a lot of ways, let’s start with their style of pizzas. The city’s football teams have been very different as well this season.
The Bears have won five games this season when they trailed in the final two minutes. The Giants have lost six times this season when they led in the fourth quarter.
Myles Ahead
There isn’t much to celebrate if you’re a Cleveland Browns fan this season (or most seasons) except for defensive end Myles Garrett.
Last week Garrett became the first player in NFL history to have 14 sacks, or more, in five straight seasons (he has 15). Only three other players, Reggie White, Kevin Greene and J.J. Watt, have had five 14-sack seasons in their entire careers. And only White and Watt have had five 15-sack seasons.
Raven Rebound
Sure a lot of the reasons for Baltimore’s turnaround this season is the health of quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens defense has something to do with it as well.
When the team was 1-4 the Ravens allowed 35.4 points, 408.8 yards and 24 first downs per game. They also had just two turnovers.
Since then over the past five games the defense has allowed 14.8 points, 299.4 yards and 15.8 first downs per game. And they have recorded nine turnovers.
Ties Required?
As of today, the Kansas City Chiefs, at 5-5, would not be in the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2014.
And get this the Chiefs lose the first tie-breaker (head to head) to three of the teams— Buffalo, Los Angeles and Jacksonville — ahead of them in the wild-card race.
