Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is among the most embattled at his position in the NFL.
Murray’s relationship with former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury took center stage in the desert during what was a disastrous 2022 season that led to Kingsbury’s firing.
In talking about what transpired a season ago, Murray did not hold back.
“I’m thinking of stuff that I wasn’t part of, like the draft, who we were gonna get, young players coming out,” Murray said, via the Cardinals’ official website. “The whole (last) year was (expletive). It happened for a reason. The things we were doing weren’t sustainable for success.”
Murray didn’t name Kingsbury or former Cardinals general manager Steve Keim by name. But it’s hard not to read between the lines. In fact, we saw the former No. 1 pick spar with his former head coach during games. It was the clearest tell yet that something wasn’t working.
Signed to a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension last offseason, Murray suffered a torn ACL 11 games into the 2022 campaign. He’s currently rehabbing from said injury and is expected to miss the start of the 2023 season. However, Murray displayed optimism regarding his eventual return.
“It’s got to be a positive. There really is no option for it to be a negative. I feel you get your little grace period right after it happens, dwell on it, soak in it, let the feelings take over. After that, (expletive), we gotta go. Life doesn’t stop. The job doesn’t stop. And I’m not going to stop.”
Kyler Murray on his ACL injury
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Kyler Murray turning the page from Arizona Cardinals drama-filled past
In his 11 starts a season ago, the Cardinals posted a 3-8 record. Things certainly weren’t clicking on the offensive side of the ball for the 25-year-old quarterback and his team.
After putting up 29 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions back in 2021, Murray regressed (17 TD, 7 INT) last season.
He now has a new head coach in Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator in that of Drew Petzing. Murray is open to listening and learning. But he also made it clear that if the status quo is not working, he’ll be vocal about changing it as a team leader. In the process, he also seemed to take another shot at Kingsbury.
“I’ve got to respect the person or understand the ins and outs or the rhymes and reasons for what we are doing,” Murray said. “I’m going to listen. I’m going to be coachable and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability, but if the (expletive) ain’t working, at some point, we all have to look in the mirror.”
Once Murray does return to the field, it’s not only going to be about a new scheme and coaching staff, but the roster in Arizona has also changed a lot, too.
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Wide receivers A.J. Green and DeAndre Hopkins are no longer with the team. He’ll be relying a lot on former Oklahoma teammate Marquise Brown in the passing game. Arizona will also have a rookie in Paris Johnson Jr. starting at right tackle with major question marks on the interior of the offensive line.
But for the still-young quarterback, it’s all about transitioning from the past and turning over a new leaf. While it’s unlikely to lead to immediate success in the competitive NFC West, a fresh start was needed for all involved. Murray seems to feel he has that right now. That’s all he can ask for right now.