Tag: Kyler Murray news

Zach Ertz says Kyler Murray is the most talented player he’s ever been around

Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz was very complimentary of his quarterback earlier this week.

When the Arizona Cardinals acquired three-time Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz from the Philadelphia Eagles last October, they had their best offense in years. They had a complete arsenal of three wide receivers, a Pro Bowl running back, a solid offensive line and then a great tight end.

One of the reasons Ertz loved the idea of coming to Arizona was their quarterback, Kyler Murray. At the time, he was the leading MVP candidate and was playing elite football. Ertz also saw Murray have one of his better games of the 2020 season when the Eagles traveled to the desert.

Appearing on the Dave Pasch podcast, Ertz reiterated his faith in his quarterback’s ability. Pasch asked how Murray was similar and/or different to the quarterbacks Ertz has played with in the past.

“Kyler is the most talented player I’ve ever been around, period,” he said. “There is nothing he cannot do on a football field. He can be like Lamar Jackson and take off for 100-plus yards a game or, in my opinion, he can sit in the pocket and not even worry about his legs.”

One of the most encouraging aspects to Murray’s play in year three was his improvement in the passing game, particularly in the middle of the field. For the first few months, his running ability was what it should be – a luxury.

That’s exactly how Ertz described Murray’s game from last season.

“In his ideal situation, he doesn’t leave the pocket,” he said. “For me, as a pass catcher, I love playing with a quarterback like that. He just wants to play on time, in rhythm and he wants to get the ball out of his hands and to his guys.

“But he knows that he has the luxury if the play is breaking down, he can take off. For me, Kyler is the most talented player I’ve ever been around.”

He did mention Andrew Luck, his college quarterback, to be the best pure quarterback he’s ever been around in his experience, but mentioned Kyler has the potential to get to that point. Luck, who retired extraordinarily early a few seasons ago, was one of the game’s best.

The Cardinals signed Zach Ertz to a three-year extension after he tied the franchise’s record for receptions by a tight end in only 11 games. He did not play with the team until week seven.

It’s safe to say that record is in huge danger of being broken again.

[listicle id=468580]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray absent from Monday’s OTAs

As players took the field Monday for the final week of OTAs, star quarterback Kyler Murray was not present.

All eyes have been on Kyler Murray this offseason, as he and the Arizona Cardinals have been subject of contract extension rumors.

The star quarterback reported to the first day of OTAs last week, but was absent as players took the field on Monday. It is the final week of voluntary workouts, as next week the Cardinals will hold mandatory minicamp, to which Murray is expected to attend.

Murray was not the only prominent veteran to miss Monday’s practice, as fellow stars Hollywood Brown, Zach Ertz, Rodney Hudson, Isaiah Simmons and Byron Murphy were also not in attendance.

While the national media has overreacted on contract rumors surrounding Murray all offseason, an extension is expected to get done this year. Following the flurry of lucrative deals to other star quarterbacks in the past few months, Murray’s price tag has certainly increased since his agent’s initial proposal in February.

In particular, the Browns record-breaking five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract with Deshaun Watson shook the quarterback market, especially given his massive legal issues.

The Cardinals would be wise to get the contract done before the quarterback market inevitably continues to increase, as other stars like Russell Wilson are looking to be extended in the near future.

All appears good to this point between the Cardinals and Murray. He is their long term quarterback.

[listicle id=468426]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Cardinals hurting themselves by not extending Kyler Murray

The Cardinals have yet to extend their face of the franchise in Kyler Murray. What has taken so long?

Up until this point, the Arizona Cardinals have dragged their feet in giving two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray a contract extension as he enters his fourth NFL season.

His agent, Erik Burkhardt, said in a statement earlier this offseason that he gave the team a contract offer. There was plenty of interest from Murray in being the franchise quarterback for the Cardinals for the foreseeable future.

While there is certainly an argument to be made that the manner in which Burkhardt handled the situation, going public on social media, was less than ideal, his points were still valid. To this point, Burkhardt and the Arizona Cardinals’ fanbase have watched as other teams went out and made aggressive moves that signaled a desire to win. While the offseason is far from over, and the team has a chance to turn around some of that frustration with a home run draft in a few weeks, virtually nothing has been done to this point.

It has been floated around that team owner Michael Bidwill and the Cardinals front office agreed to open contract negotiations with Murray’s camp this summer, when the team isn’t pressed for time with the draft. It is incredibly important that the team hold true to their word.

The longer this plays out, the higher the price tag could potentially rise. Wednesday morning, the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to terms on a three-year extension with quarterback Derek Carr with an average annual value of $40.5 million per year.

This is a rather misleading contract, as that value rounds out to around $35 million per season if the entirety of the deal is played out. The guarantees are also quite low, as Carr himself opted to take a team-friendly deal after his contract was a large contributor as to why the team had to trade star pass rusher Khalil Mack a few seasons back.

Still, the point stands that as other teams extend their respective quarterbacks, Murray’s camp can use them as leverage to earn a higher salary from the Cardinals.

This offseason has seen the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson all receive lucrative deals that have increased the annual price tag of having an elite quarterback, as the Cardinals do. The Watson deal, in particular, likely drove up the price of Murray’s eventual extension with the Cards.

The likes of the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the Broncos’ newly acquired Russell Wilson are both candidates for extensions in the near future. Bidwill and the front office would be wise to extend Murray prior to that point, should they hope to not have his price tag rise any further.

Maintaining a good relationship with star players has been a struggle at times for this Cardinal organization, particularly when it comes to contract negotiations. Extending him now helps in creating a sour relationship between the two parties.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay spoke at the NFL owners meeting, stating the team flirted with the idea of acquiring a young quarterback, a trade that would have included multiple first-round picks. Given Deshaun Watson was the only other young star that would have warranted multiple first-round selections, and the Texans blocked the division rival Colts from interviewing him, it’s safe to assume Irsay was referring to Murray.

If a perennial playoff organization is calling you about your 24-year-old quarterback, shouldn’t that give you an even greater push to realize what you have and make sure he stays put for a long time?

Following the NFL draft at the close of the month, the organization should turn all efforts to extending Kyler Murray.

[listicle id=467345]

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and