Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is expected to make his long-awaited return from a torn ACL on either Nov. 5 against the Cleveland Browns or Nov. 12 when Arizona takes on the Atlanta Falcons.
Murray was just recently designated for return from injured reserve, giving the Cardinals a three-week window to decide whether to activate him or keep the former No. 1 pick sidelined for the duration of the season.
There is a major backdrop here. Arizona has a new brass in that of head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort who don’t have a built-in relationship with the quarterback. Meanwhile, Arizona sits at 1-5 on the season and is in a good position to land a high pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
All of this has led to speculation that Murray might not be long in the desert. Despite all of this, Fox NFL insider Jay Glazer is reporting that the Cardinals still plan on building around Murray.
This has to be considered somewhat of a surprise given that the Cardinals are likely headed to a full-scale rebuild. With Caleb Williams and Drake Maye as possibilities at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft, most figured that the Cards would simply move off Murray.
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Kyler Murray and his future with the Arizona Cardinals
Let’s say Murray is able to return on Nov. 5 against the Browns. This would give him nine games to prove his worth to the Cardinals. It’s important for Gannon and Co. to see the high-priced quarterback work within the confines of a new offense before ultimately making a decision.
In addition to boasting their own pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Arizona has the Houston Texans’ first-round selection. This gives Ossenfort a ton of different avenues to pursue.
On the other hand, playing Murray doesn’t come without a risk. A total of $30 million of Murray’s salary for the 2025 becomes fully guaranteed if he’s unable to pass a physical in March. The only way to guarantee that this doesn’t happen would be to not play Murray moving forward on the season.
- Kyler Murray stats (2022): 66% completion, 2,368 yards, 14 TD, 7 INT
Once considered a franchise quarterback, Murray’s stock took a major hit last season before going down with a torn ACL. He had multiple spats with then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury and saw his game regress big time after putting up 70 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in his first three NFL seasons.
As for the Cardinals’ powers that be, they have said all the right things publicly relating to the enigmatic quarterback.
“[I’m] really pleased with where he’s at, kind of how he’s handled things. I think that’s one of the main reasons you see him as a captain,” Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing told reporters ahead of Week 1. “I certainly view him as a franchise quarterback and a leader of this organization, and I think his teammates do, too. So, I was really happy for him to kind of get that nod. It’s been good.”