Covering professional sports during the social media age has opened the door to new means of gathering information. A recent example is the relationship between Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals. In the buildup to Super Bowl LVI, eagle-eyed fans and media members alike noted that the quarterback had scrubbed his social media accounts of any association with the organization.
That culminated in a statement this week from Murray’s agent, Erin Burkhardt:
A statement from Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray’s agent, @ErikBurkhardt: pic.twitter.com/qsWGZIZ0jB
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2022
Tuesday in Indianapolis, Cardinals general manger Steve Keim took to the podium and was given an opportunity to address the statement from his quarterback and his representatives. Keim viewed it as an agent simply doing his job:
Arizona GM Steve Keim on Murray: pic.twitter.com/WonGxpwyfh
— Mark Schofield (@MarkSchofield) March 1, 2022
Keim also talked about the growth he has seen from Murray as a quarterback, and what he brings to the table. In his comments to the media Keim had this to say about Murray: “he can do it all. He has a high level of competitiveness and he wants to be great, and those are all very good strengths.”
Keim also talked about what happened to the Arizona offense down the stretch, and believed the team played “out of synch.” He also mentioned the importance of DeAndre Hopkins, and what he means to the Arizona offense:
Losing Hop was a big deal, because so many things come down to what he can do at that X spot. You know, obviously, not just his ability to catch balls in contested situations, to create bigtime mismatches, but his ability to pull coverage from other players. Where guys like Christian Kirk, A.J. Green, and Rondale Moore can benefit. SO any time you lose a player of Hop’s magnitude it certainly hurts.
Still, Murray was a focal point of Keim’s remarks. Speaking to another concern raised in Murray’s statement, the general manager noted how dating back to his time with previous quarterbacks, whether Kurt Warner or Carson Palmer, he valued the input of players, and particularly quarterbacks, in terms of roster acquisitions. “There’s a lot of knowledge to be gained from your players. I don’t think we have all the answers as evaluators and NFL personnel. I think they look through a different lens, which I love…I can gain a lot of knowledge.”
When pressed about whether Murray had done enough over his tenure in Arizona to earn a big-dollar extension in line of other quarterbacks, Keim largely demurred, indicating he did not want to get into any kind of negotiation through the media. But he reiterated his praise for his quarterback. “Looking back three years ago, the strides that he’s made both on and off the field, have been very impressive and there’s no doubt that he’s a huge reason for our turnaround and success.”
If nothing else, Keim was adamant that extending the fifth year option is on the table. “Absolutely.”
Whether that is the end of the negotiating, or the beginning, remains to be seen.