Analyst Unsure Kyler Murray Can Deliver for Cardinals

Much of 2025's potential success for the Arizona Cardinals will be placed on the shoulders of quarterback Kyler Murray.

The former number one overall pick is entering his seventh season as the front man for the Cardinals, and the success has been middling at best.

In 82 starts, the Cardinals are 36-45-1 with Murray under center. The team also has just one season with a winning record (2021 at 9-5) when Murray starts and two seasons with eight wins. Arizona has made the postseason once in that time period with the lone winning season in 2021.

It hasn't been the start to a career the franchise envisioned when they made the Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner the top selection and hitched their future to him.

Can Kyler Murray Get The Job Done?

It makes him an enigma of sorts, or at least it does according to NFL.com's Bucky Brooks.

In a recent post discussing "the seven enigmas" in the league this season, Brooks pointed to Murray as one of those few. Brooks had this to say:

"The former No. 1 overall pick is a gifted playmaker with a pair of Pro Bowls and the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year award on his résumé. At times, Murray has played at a high level and captivated the football world as an electric dual-threat quarterback.

"Though his early accomplishments prompted Arizona to sign him to a blockbuster extension (five years, $230.5 million) back in the 2022 offseason, the Cardinals need him to provide more consistent excellence to justify the return on their investment in a league that measures quarterback success by wins and rings."

Is Kyler Murray Truly an Enigma?

This brings up a really good point in how Arizona tried to get ahead of the curve by paying Murray well before he was officially due for an extension.

Murray was headed into just his fourth season and was thus eligible for an extension. Arizona forked over the fat contract before the market got out of hand. It felt ingenius considering others like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were in store for record breaking extensions.

The Cardinals made sure to secure Murray before the numbers went crazy, while Murray got his long-term assurance well in advance.

But that contract has come to bite the team in considering his well below average play and winning percentage. At the time of the extension, Murray was 22-23-1 and fresh off a playoff appearance. It felt like he was trending up before the wheels came off.

Since signing the deal, Murray is 14-22. Again, injuries have not helped his case, but he has still shown an inability to win games.

And thus, Murray is an enigma for 2025.

It's a make-or-break season for Murray. We've seen how good he can be at his best, but it's been a long, long time since we saw that version of him.

Perhaps all Murray needs is a flame ignited under him to get him back to form. With the Cardinals thinking playoffs, maybe that could be what prompts prime Murray to return.

Whatever the driving force could be, Murray needs to find it, because Brooks isn't the only person believing he is an enigma this season.

2025 might just be a career-defining season for Murray.