The Arizona Cardinals are in a very interesting spot this year at the quarterback position. They should have their franchise guy in Kyler Murrary who they selected with the number one pick of the 2019 NFL draft. Murray may be staging a holdout throughout camp and potentially even the season due to a lack of a new contract. Murray no longer wants to play on a rookie deal and it is looking like he will not take another snap in Arizona until he is given the extension that he wants.
.@K1 of one. Year 4 loading. pic.twitter.com/crLo0G0hh3
— NFL (@NFL) July 13, 2022
Kyler Murray
As previously mentioned, it is still unknown to what capacity Murray will be involved with the Arizona Cardinals this season. It has been a top priority of the Cardinals to make sure that Murray has been happy with the team since he joined them. Since being drafted, the Cardinals have gone out of their way to get Murray Deandre Hopkins, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and Zach Ertz. Despite this, he will still sit out as long as it takes for him to get a contract extension. With the desperation the Cardinals have shown to keep Murray happy up to this point, they will likely get his contract extension taken care of before the season begins.
The Cardinals will have a very uphill battle if Murray decides to sit out through this season. He is an incredible dual-threat quarterback and one of the best playmakers in the league. Although he has only been in the league for three years, Murray has made appearances in the Pro Bowl twice and was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019.
Over his three-year career, he has thrown for 11,480 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 34 picks. He has also ran for 1786 yards and 20 touchdowns on 314 rushing attempts. Despite putting up these incredible numbers thus far in his career, Murray still has an overall record of 22-23-1. This record will likely flip to a winning one after this season and as he was the first overall pick in 2019, the team around him has not always been as talented as it is today.
Colt McCoy
Colt McCoy is a veteran quarterback who has bounced from team to team throughout his career. He began his career with the Cleveland Browns, which as of late does not mean great things about a quarterback. McCoy never really thrived as a starter in the NFL, however, he was spectacular as a college quarterback at Texas University.
McCoy is a pocket-passing quarterback who does not have too much of a running game. Throughout his career, he has struggled to win games, however, he has never had much of a team around him for the majority of his career. If Murray holds out and McCoy is forced to start, it will be the best supporting cast he has had around him as a starter. In an ideal world for Cardinals fans, McCoy will not have to start this season, however, if he does, he could probably win them a few games.
Trace McSorley
The third quarterback on the depth chart for the Arizona Cardinals is Trace McSorley. McSorley is known more from memes than what he has accomplished on the football field as a pro. Despite this, he is not an untalented quarterback by any means. He was also a third-string quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens last season. As a result of this, he did not see the field too much and when he did he struggled. He only completed three of his ten passing attempts last season. While adding McSorley to the team was a fun signing for the Cardinals he will not do much to win them football games this season.
Jarrett Guarantano
The final player rounding out the Cardinals quarterback rotation is Jarrett Guarantano. Guarantano began his college career at Tennessee, however, after four years there he entered the transfer portal and became the quarterback for Washington State for his final two college football seasons. While at Washington State, Guarantano only played two games. In those games, he threw for a combined 304 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent and will definitely be a project player. It will be interesting to see if he can accomplish what it takes to remain on the roster when the season rolls around.
