Before their home game against the Green Bay Packers in week eight, the Arizona Cardinals were riding high on a 7-0 record. Quarterback Kyler Murray played so well that he was a leader in the MVP conversation. Then, a late interception on a game-winning drive, an ankle injury that would keep Murray out for three weeks, and losing his top receiver, Deandre Hopkins, to knee surgery, derailed everything. The Cardinals would go 4-6 the rest of the way, including a 34-11 loss in the Los Angeles Rams, where Murray was running for his life–trying to make things happen.
Heading into the NFL offseason, many teams will be looking for quarterbacks – Murray might be a surprise entry into the sweepstakes, which could have the likes of Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
According to CBS Sports, the Arizona QB has unfollowed the Arizona Cardinals’ Twitter and Instagram accounts and scrubbed Cardinals-related photos from his personal Instagram accounts. One thing to note, Murray has one season remaining on his four-year rookie contract. The Cardinals can exercise his fifth-year option, locking him in for two more years.
Given that Murray will only make $11,386,841 for the 2022 season, it’s time for contract extension talk – and this is probably a negotiation tactic because he wants (and should) get a raise.
Murray spoke to Cardinals reporter Darren Urban about the 2021 season.
“I wouldn’t get into too much detail, but just get better,” Murray told azcardinals.com on Saturday. “I think there are a lot of things we all need to address individually. Team-wise we understand kind of what happened, how we get there. We’ve got to do it together. Obviously everyone has to work hard individually. When we come together we’ve got to be ready to go, because it doesn’t get any easier.”
“We made strides throughout the three years I’ve been here but we haven’t reached that ultimate goal.”
The consensus around the 2022 quarterback draft class is still developing, but nobody jumps out like Murray, a former first overall pick. Could the Tampa Bay Bucs make a play for Murray down the road with Tom Brady retiring? Imagine him teaming up with Mike Evans and Chris Goodwin. Contract extensions for quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield are on the horizon – the Cardinals might want to get this done before the market does it for them.