There is more unfolding about the relationship between the Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray. ESPN’s Chris Mortenson described the relationship as having an “odd vibe” and that there is “acrimony” because of how things ended with the team’s first-round playoff exit.
The Cardinals were beaten by the Los Angeles Rams 34-11. Murray did not play the final minute.
While many analysts during the game felt the Cardinals should have pulled their young franchise quarterback from the game when things got out of hand to avoid any sort of injury, he didn’t come out until there was 1:05 remaining in the game.
According to Mike Garofolo, speaking during NFL Network’s Super Bowl pregame coverage, Murray pulled himself from the game, refusing to take the final snaps.
Backup Colt McCoy, according to Garofolo, tried to encourage him to finish the game with his teammates, but “a banged-up Murray said, ‘no, that’s it.'”
According to the report, some within the organization were unhappy with that.
He was banged up and did get hit a lot in that game. It was embarrassing for everyone involved.
Should he have finished the game? That is up for debate. As noted, many believed he should have been pulled long before the final minute.
Murray made great strides in his play in 2021. The Cardinals still want him to do more with some of the more intangible parts of playing quarterback.
According to Garofolo, “they are looking for Murray to take a step forward in a number of areas — maturity, body language on the sideline, having a bigger voice with his teammates and leadership.”
This is a critical offseason for the Cardinals with Murray. It is the final year his contract has a low cap hit. They will surely exercise his fifth-year option but he is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. We will see moving forward what approach the team takes with Murray and whether things calm down.
As it is, they “have not had that big-picture conversation with him since end-of-season meetings.”
If they have not had any conversations since the season ended and players went home, it is possible that this has been overblown. After all, it was a disappointing finish to the regular season, an embarrassing loss in the postseason and now there are a number of questions the team must answer this offseason.
This will likely fade away as the offseason progresses, but it has not been a good couple of weeks for the Cardinals in terms of news.
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