The Arizona Cardinals held their first practice of voluntary OTAs (organized teams activities) on Monday. One player of note who was in attendance was quarterback Kyler Murray.
He, of course, did not participate in practice because he is still in his recovery from a torn ACL, but he was present for practice, on the field and interacting with teammates and coaches.
This is a change from last season. he sat out most of the voluntary part of the offseason while his agent was negotiating a contract extension.
His presence was felt.
New Cardinals receiver Zach Pascal, signed as a free agent this offseason, said it sends the right message to his teammates.
“It just shows that he cares about us getting better as a team, learning the offense and those mental reps he gets as well even though he can’t physically be a part of it,” Pascal told reporters Monday after practice. “It just trickles down through the team.”
Murray being present for the voluntary part of the offseason should be no surprise. He is not in contract talks. He is rehabbing his knee. Additionally, there is monetary motivation for him to be there.
He has a $1 million workout bonus this offseason based on his participation in the offseason program.
He isn’t cleared for football activities, but we can likely expect to see him throughout the rest of the offseason program.
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