TEMPE, Ariz. -- When Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced on Jan. 14 he was returning to school for his junior season, teams sitting atop April's NFL draft were sent scrambling to reshuffle the top of their draft boards.
That group included the Arizona Cardinals, who have the third overall pick, but for a different reason.
Until Moore's announcement, quarterbacks were slated to go first and second overall: Indiana's national championship-winning signal-caller Fernando Mendoza and Moore. All along, it was unlikely that Arizona would get a shot at either unless the Raiders at No. 1 or the Jets at No. 2, both of whom need quarterbacks, traded with a team that didn't need a quarterback or made such a head-scratching pick that either Mendoza or Moore was still on the board when the Cardinals go on the clock.
"I don't see anyone else going 1," a league source told ESPN. "It's [Mendoza's], in my opinion."
The Cardinals, however, may have ended up as the biggest benefactor of Moore out of the picture, because Kyler Murray's trade value increased, according to multiple sources.
"One less quarterback on the market makes desperation increase," the source said.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has Mendoza going No. 1, and he said there isn't another clear-cut first-round QB in the draft, at this point.
An NFC source believes the starting price for Murray, if Arizona is interested in trading him, could start with a second-round pick. That source believes if the Cardinals can trade Murray, they will.
The league source believes Murray's market starts with a third-round pick.
That source compared Murray's situation with Geno Smith's when he was traded from Seattle to Las Vegas last March for a third-round pick. The source pointed out that Smith was more consistent during his last season with Seattle than Murray was in his five games with Arizona this season, however, the source added that Murray "is a more talented player."
Whether the Cardinals want to trade Murray will remain one of most important offseason questions for Arizona. Before Jonathan Gannon was fired the day after the regular season, the belief inside the Cardinals was that a decision would be reached within the first two weeks of the offseason. However, with Arizona on the hunt for a new head coach, that decision could be tabled until the new coach and his staff are in place.
A factor will be how much money Murray has been guaranteed already.
Regardless of whether he's on the roster, Murray will be set to earn $29.835 million, all of which became fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2025 league year. That includes a base salary of $22.835 million and a $17 million roster bonus, according to ESPN's Roster Management System. Should Arizona trade him before June 1, the Cardinals' dead-cap hit would be $17.9 million with a cap savings of $35.3 million, according to Spotrac. If they traded him after June 1, the Cardinals' 2026 dead-cap hit would be $10.7 million and their 2027 dead cap hit would be $7.2 million with a cap savings of $42.5 million, according to Spotrac.
Another factor will be whom Arizona hires as its head coach and whether he or his offensive coordinator will want to keep Murray. It may not be their decision alone, however. Owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort will have input, as well.
During Bidwill and Ossenfort's postseason news conference, Ossenfort said there'll be a time and place for discussions on Murray's future.
"I think when you come off a season like we have, I'd say all options are on the table, whether it's quarterback or any other position," Ossenfort said. "All options are on the table and we're going to investigate all those to improve the team. And with every roster decision, we're going to always, as we always have, we're going to do what's in the best interest of the team."