TEMPE, Ariz. – Kyler Murray final get the contract he wants on Thursdayand The Arizona Cardinals finally got the stability of the back four they had been looking for for decades.
Cardinals have no choice.
Murray’s five-year extension, valued at $230.5 million with $160 million guaranteed, will keep him under contract through the end of the 2028 season. If he plays to the end of his contract, he’s will become the second-longest-tenured quarterback in franchise history after Jim Hart, who played 18 seasons for St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 to 1983.
That’s one of the main reasons Arizona had to hand Murray a deal.
Quartet stability and longevity have long been an issue for the Cardinals since they moved to Arizona in 1988. Carson Palmer and Kurt Warner each played five years for Arizona, and Jake Plummer played. six. Murray can change that story, and the Cardinals know it.
So does Murray.
In theory, the Cardinals have a choice when it comes to Murray. They can wait to see how the two-time Pro Bowler champion plays this season, then find out his contract situation for the 2023 season. Or they can decide to move on. In fact, waiting is not feasible.
One of the biggest liabilities in the NFL is looking behind door #2, especially when it comes to quarterbacks. Arizona could have moved on from Murray and drafted a quarterback, signed a free agency veteran or picked another pick on the list, but that would keep the Cardinals in the same cycle. trivial.
Murray has held all the leverage when it comes to his contract. Murray never mentioned retention, but coach Kliff Kingsbury worried during the June mini-game that it was a possibility. Murray and his team know all about Arizona’s history and what he’s done for the franchise by leading it to improve year after year after it bottomed out in 2018, with a 3- 13. That season led to the Cardinals taking Murray as #1 in the 2019 NFL draft.
Murray hasn’t been perfect in his three years with the Cardinals, but he’s played as well, if not better, than any other full-back they’ve ever had. He’s the only player in NFL history to have 70 touchdown passes and 20 rush touchdowns in his first three seasons. He was the only Cardinals quarterback to throw 3,500 yards and 20 touchdown passes in three consecutive seasons.
His combined 13,266 passes and dash is the third most in league history in a player’s first three seasons. That total is second only to Andrew Luck and Orange Newton. Add in his two Pro Bowl nods and his Rookie of the Year title in 2019 and the Cardinals just paid one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
Murray, however, comes with some concerns. He has suffered injuries over the past two seasons, affecting not only the way he plays but also the trajectory of the Cardinals season. A high ankle sprain last season derailed what could have been an MVP-caliber campaign. His total QBR (65.1), completion rate (73%) and yards per attempt (8.9) in September and October last season all ranked in the top 5. In the rest. of the year, all decreased (47.5, 65% and 6.7, respectively).
Kingsbury has long talked about Murray improving his body language on the pitch, going even further by showing the midfielder’s videos on how Aaron Rodgers, brave cat and Russell Wilson self behave.
Despite the concerns surrounding him, Murray has stood out with his play, whether it’s juggling, running or throwing. He has shown he can make tough passes this season, with a 3.9% higher completion rate than expected – the second-highest score among qualified midfielders. after Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.
Murray’s contract extension brings high expectations. Arizona has struggled to finish the past two seasons, ending 2020 by losing five of its seven finals and six of its final nine, and then finishing last season by hitting dropped four of the last five seasons, including an embarrassing loss in the incoming wild card round Los Angeles Rams.
To prove Murray is worthy of a contract – a contract that gives him the second highest guaranteed money after Deshaun Watson $230 million and second highest average per year behind Rodgers ($50.3 million) – Murray needs to do more than get Arizona back into post-season in 2022. He needs to win win a playoff game. At least. It wouldn’t be easy without his best attacking midfielder, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkinswho’s been suspended for the first six games of the season, not to mention recent history, is in dire straits in the second half of the season.
Murray earned his money and will get it at some point.
Now he has to show he’s worthy.
