Getty Josh Allen's lucrative contract extension could be on Kyler Murray's mind, according to one NFL Network reporter.
Kyler Murray’s status with the Arizona Cardinals is building into quite the story after the quarterback made changes to his social media accounts.
Many are confused by Murray’s actions, including NFL Network’s Rich Eisen. He believes Murray wants to be treated like Buffalo Bills’ starter Josh Allen.
The latter agreed to a bumper new contract with the Bills last offseason. Allen was entering the final year of his rookie deal when he agreed more lucrative terms, and Murray is in the same situation.
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Eisen Confused by Murray Situation
Speaking on an episode of The Rich Eisen Show, 52-year-old Eisen expressed his general confusion with the current situation between Murray and the Cardinals.
Eisen asked if Murray’s recent actions are a “threat he won’t re-sign with them after they franchise him two more times?” The host also wondered if the timing is right for any sort of leverage move.
Specifically, Eisen said Murray should “wait ’till the other sport he’s playing is not being locked out.” This was a reference to any baseball ambitions Murray, a former first-round pick of the Oakland A’s, might have, ambitions that are stalled by Major League Baseball’s ongoing lockout.
The crucial part of Eisen’s segment came when he drew comparisons to Allen’s situation a year ago:
Allen got the deal he wanted when the Bills gave him $150 million in guaranteed money for a six-year contract extension ultimately worth $258 million. Like Murray, Allen was entering the last year of a rookie deal, although he’d already had his fifth-year option picked up in Buffalo.
If Murray is trying to accelerate the arrival of his next contract, the speculation his recent actions have created begins to make sense. Those actions hinge on social media activity detailed by The Athletic:
Arizona QB Kyler Murray has unfollowed the team & removed all Cardinals-related content from his Instagram.
The only recent content was a picture of himself at the Pro Bowl and a story re-share of a Mike Evans post that said “always wanted to catch a pass from the Texas legend.”
Nobody connected with Murray or the Cardinals is committing to an explanation, so pundits like Eisen ultimately remain in the dark. Yet, more and more in the media are becoming convinced a standoff is brewing between the Cardinals and their franchise quarterback.
Some See Design in Murray’s Actions
Left to speculate, some believe Murray’s recent moves have been calculated. Among them, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said the social media changes were “no accident.”
Florio also pointed to the timing, after Murray had been at the Pro Bowl, where he was getting “recruited — in jest or seriously or somewhere in between — by older players from other teams.”
Accident or design, none of this is a good look for the Cardinals. Especially with Murray’s next contract already a looming issue for general manager Steve Keim.
What that next contract looks like is something that will be giving Keim sleepless nights. He’s already dealing with a dire salary cap situation.
The Cards are currently projected by Spotrac.com to be just $5,395,098 under the cap. That number could shrink thanks to what Murray is set to earn this year.
Those terms are spelled out by ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss: “He’s currently scheduled to earn a base salary of $965,000 in 2022, but with a $4.5 million roster bonus that’s fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, Murray will take home about $5.4 million.”
The Cardinals’ restricted finances are compounded by limited draft picks, thanks to trades for tight end Zach Ertz, center Rodney Hudson and cornerback Marco Wilson. This unwanted combination is why the Cardinals rank among the worst teams in the league for offseason resources, per betting editor Kyle Odegard:
The Cardinals have the eighth-worst combination of cap space and draft capital heading into the offseason, according to analysis by @PFF.
All of this means the timing is far from ideal for Murray to be lobbying for an Allen-type deal, if that’s what he’s actually doing. Ultimately, the Cardinals are in a bind, regardless of the timing.
Murray is a top-tier quarterback, and NFL teams have little choice but to pay a premium to keep one of those around.