One of the most notable things from new Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken’s introductory press conference was his comment on the quarterback situation.
Monken told reporters that the team’s 2026 starter has yet to be determined, which means neither Shedeur Sanders nor Deshaun Watson are locks to start.
If the Browns decide to bring someone else in, which is entirely possible with a new head coach in town, YardBarker’s Seth Trachtman predicts Cleveland will trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
“Murray had another disappointing and injury-plagued season in Arizona. It won’t be easy for the Cardinals to move his contract, but the quarterback-desperate Browns could be willing to take on the risk in a trade,” Trachtman wrote.
After another disappointing season, the expectation is that Murray will be playing elsewhere in 2026, which opens the door to a trade.
While Murray’s $230 million contract might seem daunting for a team that is already paying big money to Watson, it’s important to note that Murray’s deal has no more guaranteed money after 2026, so there’s no long-term commitment there.
Murray isn’t an elite quarterback by any stretch, but he’s better than Watson and is more proven than Sanders, and at 28 years old he’s still young enough to be a potential long-term solution.
If things don’t pan out, the Browns can simply cut Murray in 2027 ahead of a draft that is expected to have a strong quarterback class.
The biggest roadblock for a Murray trade is the Browns’ cap space situation. Cleveland is currently slated to be over the cap by about $10 million.
Ultimately, the best decision for the Browns is to ride it out with the quarterbacks they have now instead of giving up draft capital for Murray, who is far from guaranteed to elevate Cleveland in 2026 and beyond.
