The Arizona Cardinals decided to move on from Jonathan Gannon after a 15–36 record and a 3–14 finish this season. The front office needed a new direction, and they shaped it by bringing in Mike LaFleur on a five-year deal. The new head coach has made his opening statement, and he sounds ready to hit the ground running.

“Having competed against them in the NFC so many times in recent years, I know the type of talent and toughness the team has and cannot wait to get to Arizona to hit the ground running,” LaFleur said on his opening presser.

Five years tells you plenty. This wasn’t a short-term gamble or a placeholder hire. The Cardinals waited, watched the market develop, and then committed. After letting Gannon go, fans saw nine other teams fill their head coaching jobs while Arizona interviewed more than a dozen candidates. Nearly a month later, they landed on LaFleur.

It’s not a shocking choice. As the offensive coordinator of the league’s most productive offense, LaFleur arrives with momentum. He’s the sixth assistant from the Sean McVay tree to land a head coaching job, and right now, that coaching lineage carries real weight. This past season, his offense averaged 30.5 points and 403.5 yards per game.

For a Cardinals franchise that has reached the playoffs just six times in almost 30 years and just finished a season scoring 20.9 points per game, it’s easy to see the appeal. LaFleur has been part of winning environments before.

He reached the Super Bowl as an offensive assistant with the Falcons in 2016 and again as passing game coordinator with the Niners three years later. He nearly added a third this year, too, if the Los Angeles Rams had found a way past the Seattle Seahawks. But the bigger picture is clear: LaFleur has been around winning football for most of his career.

He’s worked under McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and yes, he’s also the cousin of Matt LaFleur. Now comes the harder part. Turning Arizona around won’t be quick, and it won’t be simple. The offense needs fixing, and that process can’t truly begin until there’s clarity on the future of quarterback Kyler Murray.

Does Kyler Murray have a future in Arizona?

The Arizona Cardinals have checked off the first box of the offseason by hiring their new head coach, but this will still be a long offseason. And no question looms larger than the one at quarterback. Kyler Murray’s future is very much unsettled, and ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss laid out the reality of where things stand.

“There are two possibilities: LaFleur will get to pick his guy — which, as an offensive-minded head coach, might be the smartest move — or Bidwell will require Murray to stay on the roster because of all the money he has paid him for this coming season,” Weinfuss wrote.

That money is the crux of the problem. According to Spotrac, Murray is scheduled to earn $42.535 million next season, nearly $40 million of it guaranteed. Next year, he will be in line for another $36.335 million. From that, $19.5 million shall be the guaranteed money.

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That’s a massive financial commitment for a quarterback who hasn’t taken a snap since Week 5. And that’s where the Cardinals’ bind becomes clear. They can’t just walk away and start fresh. Moving Murray would leave Arizona with $17.9 million in dead cap. Cutting him would mean $57.7 million swallowed all at once.

From an ownership standpoint, it’s easy to see why Michael Bidwill might prefer to keep him in the building. But that calculation changes if the new head coach isn’t convinced. Murray threw for 962 yards and six touchdowns in five games this season before a foot injury ended his year.

He was placed on injured reserve in November after getting hurt in the Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans. LaFleur is being brought in to fix an offense. Doing that while leaning on a quarterback who only made it through five games is a tough sell. But so is moving on from a player carrying that kind of contract.