Cardinals ‘intrigued’ by trading for Bears QB with Kyler Murray era likely over

The Cardinals are crawling into the deepest of crevices to find a new quarterback.

With Kyler Murray expected to have played his final down in Arizona, the team will need to bring in some new faces to take snaps under center.

Longtime Phoenix area radio host John Gambadoro reported Tuesday that the Cardinals have interest in bringing in Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent.

Tyson Bagent was a DII star at Shepherd University. AP

“Have heard the Cardinals are intrigued by Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent,” Gambadoro posted on X. “He has one year left on his deal, so would have to trade for him. Grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia and went to Shepherd University. Was an undrafted free-agent who beat out PJ Walker for the backup job with Chicago and was so good the Bears signed him to a 2-year $10M extension.”

The well-liked backup is a true underdog story.

After he was undrafted out of Division II Shepherd University, he earned playing time with the Bears through sheer hard work and determination.

Bagent has looked competent in limited action at the NFL level.

For a struggling Bears team in 2023 that wound up picking No. 1 overall and selecting Caleb Williams the following offseason, Bagent went 2-3 in five starts after Justin Fields got hurt.

The Cardinals are moving on from Kyler Murray. Getty Images

Bagent threw for 859 yards, five touchdowns (two rushing), and six interceptions in limited playing time as an undrafted rookie. He has also put up strong performances in preseason action.

If Bagent is brought in, he will likely compete alongside another potential starter.

Arizona will look under every rock they can to find a replacement for Murray after another disappointing 2025 season.

The Cardinals still have veteran Jacoby Brissett, who replaced Murray, under contract for the 2025 season.

The Cardinals went 2-3 under Murray last season, while going 1-11 under Brissett.

Arizona also holds the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft, though this is not a quarterback-rich group, with Fernando Mendoza expected to go No. 1 overall to the Raiders, and then a split among evaluators on whether another signal caller is worthy of a first-round pick.

Murray has two years left on his massive five-year $230.5 million ($159.8 million guaranteed) contract that he signed in 2024.

He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2029 and is expected to have at least some trade value to teams, unlike Tua Tagovailoa, who will be released in short order.