Will Kyler Murray return at QB? That's one of the Cardinals' key questions heading into offseason

"TEMPE, Ariz. -- When the Arizona Cardinals allow themselves to finally take a breath after the season, whether that's on a beach in Cabo or on a couch in Arizona, and start dissecting how 2025 went, they'll keep coming back to one question. What went wrong? For a team that won eight games in 2024 and had playoff aspirations, this season fell far below expectations. At 3-13, the Cardinals have tied their worst record in the modern era. A loss Sunday will give them their worst single-season record since the 1970 merger."

"The initial diagnosis of how and why this season went off the rails will produce the obvious reasons, starting with injuries. By Week 16, just four of the Cardinals' Day 1 starters remained. The rest? Injured. And heading into the season finale Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, they have 22 players on injured reserve -- including the starting quarterback, the top two running backs, two of the top four tight ends, both starting offensive tackles and the first-round pick."

"Then there's the defense, which gave up 40 points three times in a five-game stretch followed by 37 two weeks later. And, lastly, the offense will get its own evaluation, one that will look deeply at how it fared with Kyler Murray at quarterback for the first five weeks against how it performed from Week 6 on with Jacoby Brissett under center."

The Arizona Cardinals collapsed to a 3-13 record in 2025, tying the franchise's worst modern-era mark and risking the worst single-season record since 1970. Injuries overwhelmed the roster: by Week 16 only four Day 1 starters remained and 22 players were on injured reserve, including the starting quarterback, top running backs, multiple tight ends, both starting offensive tackles and a first-round pick. The defense surrendered large point totals in multiple stretches. The offense performed differently with Kyler Murray in the first five weeks versus Jacoby Brissett from Week 6 onward. Organizational review will center on health, defensive lapses and offensive instability.

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