The ongoing power struggle between Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals doesn’t seem to be getting any better with time.
A month ago, Murray stirred up controversy when he removed Cardinals-related content from his Instagram page. Immediately it became clear that there was trouble in paradise. Shortly thereafter, Chris Mortenson of ESPN confirmed that there were issues between player and organization.
In the time since, both sides have attempted to publicly maintain that the friction is minimal.
However, on Thursday, it became clear that things are getting worse – not better.
According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, “Murray is not expected to play unless he gets a new deal” from the Cardinals. Meanwhile, the team’s front office has “yet to make a contract offer to Murray, whose agent, Erik Burkhardt, informed the team weeks ago he was pulling his opening proposal off the table.”
In an offseason where Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr all inked deals that will pay them in excess of $40 million annually, Murray clearly isn’t happy with the $5.5 million due to him in the fourth year of his rookie contract.
So where does that leave everyone? Well, barring a resolution, it seems to suggest that all parties involved are barreling towards an imminent trade.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there are currently three teams well-positioned to capitalize on this.
“The most obvious candidates would be the three finalists for Deshaun Watson who didn’t get the new Browns quarterback: Panthers, Falcons, and Saints,” he wrote.
“This assumes that each of those teams would be OK with a quarterback who is on the very short side, by NFL starting quarterback standards.”
Murray’s height has always been a topic of conversation, but it’s unclear how much it actually bogs him down. He and the Cardinals smoothly got off to a 7-0 start last season, before ultimately falling back down to earth and finishing 4-6 and getting blown out by the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.
That said, it’s hard not to look at Murray and see him as an upgrade for each of the teams he has been linked to. And frankly, he’s clearly a better player than the other big-name quarterback available on the market right now.
Time will tell if the Cardinals ultimately decide to ship Murray out, but if they do, there will be no shortage of squads that want him.
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