Kyler Murray’s extension just put Arizona Cardinals over the cap

Kyler Murray’s contract is already having an impact on the Arizona Cardinals.

When Kyler Murray got the biggest contract extension in the history of the Arizona Cardinals, it not only made Murray richer but is now also putting the Cardinals into a risky spot.

Murray’s $230M extension caused the Cardinals to soar from roughly $11M under the cap to being close to $20M over the cap, according to Spotrac. So what does this mean for the Cardinals roster?

It’s going to require a ton of restructures and potentially letting a few people go. So what does this mean for D.J. Humphries’ extension? In 2023, the Cardinals are projected to have $53 million in cap space, so it’s still possible that this gets done.

But will this compromise the team’s ability to get another playmaker in the secondary? Any hopes of help in that department should be minimal. But, of course, this isn’t the end of the world, as the Saints and Packers navigated way worse situations this year.

But for the Cardinals, they need all the help they can get, and each missing piece hurts.

Kyler Murray’s contract is starting to have a ripple effect through the Cardinals roster.

The Cardinals’ best cornerback last year was Robert Alford, and he’s still out there on the free agent market.  But this is now hampering the Cardinals’ ability to make a late-preseason/regular season addition when they need it most.

If injuries happen, are the players who are on the depth chart going to be able to rise to the occasion? Do Cardinals fans want to see someone like a Breon Borders out in the secondary once again?

Steve Keim has some maneuvering to do with the cap space, and hopefully, this is just a small molehill and not a mountain. But now, the depth of the team will truly be tested.