Cardinals’ Murray Now the 2nd Highest Paid QB

The Arizona Cardinals and star quarterback Kyler Murray have officially come to terms on a new contract extending through the 2028 season. Murray will now be the second highest paid quarterback in the NFL, behind Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. The contract is worth $230.5 million, with $160 million of that guaranteed. In total Murray, will bring in $46.1 million per year on average.

With training camp arriving July 26, there had been concern regarding the team’s contract negotiations with Murray, but the Cardinals were able to get the deal done when it mattered. After calling the 2021 campaign a “massive failure” following the Cardinals’ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round, Murray kept Cardinals fans feeling uncertain about the offseason. During the Pro Bowl game on February 6, Murray even unfollowed the Cardinals on social media and deleted pictures related to the team.

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Murray’s Offseason Woes Following Early Playoff Exit

Following a collapse in which the Cardinals after losing six of their last 10 games, Murray seems to be preparing for a revenge tour in 2022. Murray said in a February interview with ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that he was embarrassed by the team’s playoff loss and felt he was unfairly scapegoated for how the season ended.

The next day, Murray took to Twitter to clear up his position on the rumors, saying, “All of this nonsense is not what I’m about, never has been, never will be.”

Then on February 28, Murray’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, tweeted about his client’s his desire for a long-term contract extension with the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2019 following a Heisman trophy-winning season with the Oklahoma Sooners.

“He absolutely wants to be your long term QB,” Burkhardt wrote in a statement.

For the Cardinals’ faithful, July 21 was a good day because it resolved long-simmering uncertainty.

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This Year Could Provide Breakout Year for Murray

Murray, 24, has been inching toward his prime, and this year could be the year he breaks out as an elite quarterback. His completion percentage, yards per pass attempt and quarterback rating have improved each season of his three-year career. On top of winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, he has been a member of the Pro Bowl team for the past two seasons.

There will be plenty of weapons on the offensive side of the ball for Murray to utilize in his chase for glory. Fielding names like DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, Zach Ertz and James Conner the options are endless. Although their star receiver, Hopkins, will miss the first six games due to suspension, there will be plenty of backups ready to make names for themselves.

Following a season where Murray threw for 3,787 yards and 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, there is an improvement to be made. With a player of Murray’s caliber, it is paramount that he takes another leap in his fourth season, and his teammates will be counting on him to lead them to the promised land. Finishing at 11-6 in 2021, Arizona under Murray had improved by three wins each season. If he continues to build off that trend this season, a first-round bye and Super Bowl appearance could be waiting.

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