The 2022 NFL season came to a conclusion for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray when he suffered a torn ACL back in Week 14 against the New England Patriots.
To say that Murray’s fourth season with Arizona didn’t go swimmingly would be putting it subtlety. It all came to a culmination with that aforementioned knee injury after Murray’s Cardinals lost eight of his 11 starts.
The good news? Embattled Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters on Wednesday that Murray’s ACL surgery was a success. The bad news? He also had to undergo surgery on his meniscus.
It was previously reported that Murray would be able to return in time for Week 1 of the 2023 season. Right now, that seems to be an extremely liberal timeline for recovery. Another star player in that of Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a torn ACL in the Super Bowl last February. He’s yet to return to action. Typically, injuries of this ilk take near a calendar year to recover from.
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Kyler Murray injury and the future of the Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals as a whole are finishing up shop on what has been a disastrous four-win season. Dating back to last season, they have lost 15 of their past 20 games. General manager Steve Keim is on the outs. Kingsbury finds himself firmly on the hot seat.
All of this comes mere months after Arizona inked Murray to a five-year, $230.5 million contract. Based on Murray’s performance this season, questions about his leadership ability and a rift with Kingsbury, initial findings are that said extension was a mistake.
- Kyler Murray stats (2022): 66% completion, 2,368 yards, 17 total TD, 9 turnovers, 87.2 QB rating
Despite all of these factors, it’s clear that Murray will be the long-term faces of the Cardinals’ organization. It’s just not yet known how the organization will look once he does return from injury, whenever that might be.