Getty Should the Cardinals be worried about Kyler Murray?
Kyler Murray may be angling for a new contract, but the Arizona Cardinals might be hesitant to pay up, due to an obvious “worry” involving their franchise quarterback.
This concern is held by one agent, who has given his verdict on the Murray situation. Murray is set to play on the final year of his rookie deal in 2022, but any chance he has to earn more lucrative terms could depend on his ability to prove his doubters wrong.
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Familiar ‘Worry’ Jeopardizing Murray’s Future
Writing for Fansided, Matt Lombardo revealed “multiple league sources with ties to the Cardinals believe the 24-year-old is posturing for a new contract.” Lombardo also quoted somebody he referred to as “a high-profile agent familiar with the quarterback market.”
This unnamed agent had some interesting quotes, beginning with his belief Murray won’t leave the Cardinals any time soon: “Kyler is this winter’s version of Russell Wilson. He’s going nowhere.”
The agent also went on to say Murray has to prove himself and may not have all the leverage in any negotiations over a new contract: “The worry with Kyler is whether he can hold up over the course of a 17-game season, as we saw this year. This feels like Arizona’s going to be in a similar spot to the Browns with Baker Mayfield. I’m not so sure they wind up caving and giving him a long-term deal.”
If the Cardinals can look past worries about Murray’s health, the franchise will need to pay big to secure the player’s long-term future. Cards Wire staff writer Chuck Harris quoted figures from Spotrac estimating what Murray’s next contract with the Cardinals might look like:
.@spotrac has Kyler Murray’s contract value calculated as 6 years, $258M, $43M/year. This is equal to what Josh Allen received. $150M gtd for injury; $100M fully gtd; $42.4M option bonus 2022.
That’s a major investment to make in a player apparently not trusted to play a full season on a regular basis. Yet, Murray’s injury record may not be as severe as many think.
Durability has been a familiar concern about Murray. The worry mostly stems from his size, specifically, a diminutive, 5’10”, 207-pound frame. Those who share this concern regarding Murray may have felt vindicated when he missed three games in 2021 because of a sprained ankle.
Ironically, those missed starts are the outliers so far during Murray’s NFL career. He’s started every other game since being drafted first overall in 2019, although he played with a damaged shoulder throughout the second half of the 2020 season.
Consistency should be Murray’s bigger concern.
Murray Still Needs to Prove He Can Win Consistently
Despite impressive individual numbers, Murray has struggled to turn the Cardinals into consistent winners. He’s led the team to 5-10-1, 8-8 and 11-6 regular-season records.
The latter came after a late-season slump wasted a 7-0 start. Murray was still in the lineup when the Cardinals lost 34-11 to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild-Card playoffs.
Losing to the Rams further damaged Murray’s win percentage among his immediate contemporaries at his position, per NFL on CBS:
Best career win pct among QBs drafted since 2019
Tua Tagovailoa .619 (13-8)
Mac Jones .588 (10-7)
Kyler Murray .489 (22-23-1)
Joe Burrow .481 (12-13-1)
Jalen Hurts .474 (9-10)
Justin Herbert .469 (15-17)
*min. 15 starts
In fairness, lofty stats and wins don’t always go hand in hand for quarterbacks. Murray has ample numbers to prove his status as one of the most productive in the league.
He knows how to push the ball vertically in head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Figures from Ian Hartitz of Pro Football Focus highlight Murray’s flair for the big play:
Kyler Murray among 39 qualified QBs in 2021 (includes playoffs, PFF):
Passing grade: 87.5 (No. 5)
Yards per attempt: 7.6 (No. 6)
Completion rate: 68.3% (No. 3)
Big-time throw rate: 7.8% (No. 1)
Turnover-worthy play rate: 2.2% (No. 4)
Also world-beating rusher. BuT bOdY lAngUaGe
The final line in this tweet sums up the biggest concern regarding Murray, and it’s not his durability. His temperament and maturity will remain under the spotlight during an offseason that began with Murray scrubbing his social media accounts of any mention of the Cardinals.
That action put the focus on Murray’s future and created a vacuum being filled with questions about the player’s leadership and now his injury record.