The Arizona Cardinals recently made Kyler Murray the highest-paid quarterback in the history of the NFL. It has been clear from the start that Murray was the franchise guy for the Cardinals when they drafted him with the first overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft. Since then, Arizona has done everything in its power to cater to Murray and do its best to keep him happy and on the team. Some instances of this have been trading for Deandre Hopkins, signing A.J. Green, trading for Zach Ertz, recently trading for Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and now making Kyler the highest-paid quarterback in the history of the NFL. With their divisional opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, being one of the older teams in the league, it is clear that Arizona believes Murray can lead them to the promised land in the near future, potentially once the Rams’ core begins to regress.
LIVE: Kyler Murray addresses the media for the first time after agreeing to a contract extension that will keep him with the Cardinals through 2028. https://t.co/PUwS4PJjKP
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 22, 2022
What Murray being back means for the Cardinals
Before signing this newest contract, Murray was reported to be willing to hold out and not play as long as it took until the Cardinals offered him a deal that he was content with. It is now clear that $230.5 million until the 2028 season. On a per year basis, this deal is still less than what the Cleveland Browns recently gave Deshaun Watson, however, in terms of overall money, Murray is the highest paid in the league. This finally ends the standoff between Murray and the Cardinals that has been brewing since they were eliminated from the playoffs. It was not a pretty endeavor for either side. Reports came out over the offseason that Murray wanted out of Arizona. Along with this, it was also said that the Cardinals were looking to move Murray as they saw him as immature and someone who could not accept responsibility.
With Murray back on the roster, they are back in good hands at the quarterback position. It appeared as if they were going to be forced to start Colt McCoy to begin the season. While McCoy is a solid backup, there is a world of difference in what Murray brings to the game in comparison to McCoy. Kyler will have to be at the top of his game with the Cardinals being in a hyper-competitive division and also missing their star wide receiver Deandre Hopkins for a good chunk of the year. If Murray went through with the holdout and missed a substantial amount of time, this likely would have been a bad year for the Cardinals and they would have had little to no shot of making the playoffs. However, with Murray at the helm, they are almost locks to make another playoff run.
Did the Cardinals overpay?
You would be hard-pressed to find someone that thinks Kyler Murray is the second-best player in the NFL. As a result of this, it would not be ridiculous to think that the Cardinals overpaid to keep him on the team. However, this may not be the case. Seemingly with each top young quarterback that is in a contract year, the price tag continues to go up. More than likely, Murray will continue to lead the Cardinals to success through the 2028 season. Also, as more players like Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert are approaching contract years, Murray’s contract will go on to look like a steal.
