It’s a move seven months in the making. The Cardinals and Murray’s camp have been negotiating on an extension to keep him in Arizona long-term and that wish has come to fruition. According to Spotrac, Murray will have a signing bonus of just over $29 million and $105 million guaranteed at signing. In other words, Murray secured the bag.
Since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Cardinals in 2019, Murray has been one of the most talented athletes in the sport. He’s made two Pro Bowls and has been one of the tougher quarterbacks to contain in the pocket in the last three years. Murray’s success has come from the help of head coach Kliff Kingsbury, whose Air Raid-style offense has allowed the former Heisman Trophy winner to play in his comfort zone over the last three years.
However, Murray and the Cardinals have struggled to finish the last two seasons strong. In 2020, the team finished 8-8 despite starting the year with a 5-2 record. While Murray’s numbers and play were solid, it wasn’t enough to overcome the struggles the team faced late into the campaign.
The following season was similar. After a great 7-0 start, the Cardinals, despite having improved in multiple areas, began to play inconsistently and finished the year at 11-6 and were blown out in the wild-card round against the would-be Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Murray’s play also became incredibly inconsistent towards the end of the season after an ankle injury cost him three games.
There is no doubt that Kyler Murray is very gifted and deserving of an extension. His agent, Erik Burkhardt, did a fantastic job of getting him the money he believes Murray deserved. Yet, it seems like an overpay for a player that has had inconsistent play towards the end of the season in prior years.
This is not to say Murray isn’t a good player. He’s arguably one of the ten to twelve best quarterbacks in the land. Though, he hasn’t taken that next step yet to show he is deserving of a contract that now rankings just behind Aaron Rodgers in APY (average per year).
Murray has inconsistencies when it comes to full-field progressions, getting the ball out faster, and working with throws over the middle of the field. An extension like this would go to a quarterback that is easily one of the best in football. Murray has yet to prove that he is one of the true elite QBs this game has to offer. However, his skill set alone makes him one of the ten best players at his position.
The two-time Pro Bowler’s new extension almost guarantees record-setting deals for quarterbacks such as the Bengals’ Joe Burrow and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert. Both QBs have shown to be, at least in my opinion, elite quarterbacks in this league. They could overtake Rodgers to get maybe $55 million APY or even $60-70 million.
With this extension, the Cardinals secure their franchise QB for the long term. This will allow them to— hopefully— surround Murray with the pieces necessary on both sides of the ball for the team to succeed.
There’s no denying what Kyler Murray brings to the table. He’s an incredible athlete who throws a great fastball and understands somewhat how to change up his throws. He’s a threat to create plays out-of-structure and make them off-script. The only worry is his consistency with his eyes and lower half. If he can improve those areas, this is a future multi-league MVP who can potentially lead the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl title.