Nothing is more important to the future success of the Pittsburgh Steelers than fixing the quarterback position. Unfortunately, free agent options are limited this offseason. If the front office isn't willing to fork up a lucrative contract for Sam Darnold, Pittsburgh could be forced to resort back to Justin Fields or Russell Wilson for the 2025 season.
Trade options are even more limited. While Matthew Stafford's name has been thrown in the rumor mill, it doesn't make sense for the Rams to move on from the 37-year-old without another competent option in place. Based on contract situations and new regimes, the only other trade names that make logical sense are Derek Carr and Geno Smith.
But another quarterback has recently been mentioned as a surprise trade candidate this offseason.
Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team recently wrote about five surprise NFL trade candidates in 2025. Kyler Murray was one of them. The 2021 first-overall pick of the Arizona Cardinals made two Pro Bowls in his first three seasons and has shown promise.
Murray, however, has played in just one full season over the past four years as his numbers have come back down to earth. Valentino admits that a Murry trade would be considered more surprising than Matthew Stafford or Geno Smith, but the Cardinals—who gave Murray a five-year, $230 million contract in 2022—could look to get out of Murray's contract before he asks for more guaranteed money.
Kyler Murray is a worthwhile gamble for Steelers (if Cardinals decided to trade him)
Let me preface by saying I don't believe the Cardinals would be willing to move on from Kyler Murray. Despite his injury history, steep contract, and an overall lack of team success, Arizona doesn't have a backup plan Murray can often keep the Cardinals in games.
However, if Murray were to be up for grabs, the Steelers would be wise to pursue the talented quarterback. Murray is small, (5'10'', 207 lbs), but he's got a whip attached to his right shoulder and is a master at extending the play. Though Mike Tomlin may be looking for a pocket passer who can deliver the ball over the middle of the field, the Steelers head coach frequently expresses how important mobility is at the quarterback position.
Murray averages 7.0 yards per attempt in his career to go with a respectable 92.4 passer rating, but these numbers are collectively higher when the talented quarterback plays more than 11 games in a season. Every season in which Murray has played at least 14 games has been accompanied by 20+ passing touchdowns, over 3,700 passing yards, and over 400 rushing yards.
At 27 years old, Murray isn't going to be on the decline anytime soon, and landing with a more talented supporting cast in Pittsburgh could help take his performance to the next level.
Trading for the former number-one pick wouldn't come cheap. Because the Cardinals would be forced to absorb a $58.5 million dead money hit (if traded before June 1), Arizona would want to be handsomely compensated. The Steelers would likely be looking at a package that included multiple first-round picks.
This would be a gamble, but one worth taking. With Cameron Heyward turning 36 years old this offseason and T.J. Watt in his 30s, the time for action is now. A Kyler Murray trade would make the Steelers a competitive team and give them a quarterback who could threaten opponents in the playoffs.
The Cardinals trading Murray would be quite the surprise, but it's not impossible. It wouldn't hurt the Steelers to call.