Arizona Cardinals News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) walks the field before their preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 9, 2025. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cardinals Legend Defends Kyler Murray

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Richie Bradshaw | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 2:30 PM ET

Since arriving in the league in 2019, Kyler Murray has been under the microscope as a passer. He won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma and is arguably the greatest high school football player in the history of Texas, but the questions continued upon his debut to the NFL.

The Arizona Cardinals made him the first overall pick in 2019, and the results have been mixed, with fans on extreme opposites when discussing him.

But one constant remains in those debates -- and that's whether or not he is a good pocket passer. There has been deserved criticism at times, but you can also see his development over the last six years. Nonetheless, the arguments rage on.

Recently, PHNX sat down with legendary Cardinals' quarterback Kurt Warner to talk about Murray as a pocket passer. The fan favorite Hall of Fame quarterback had this to share:

Kurt Warner Defends Kyler Murray

"That is a tough question. I think we use the word ceiling all the time. Everybody's ceiling is different. The ceiling in different areas is different for different guys. I can't just sit here and say every player can learn it to this high level. ... What I will say is I have seen growth from Kyler throughout his career. I have seen him get better. I'd like to think yeah, in the areas he needs to improve, that there's the ability to improve."

Warner has always come across as an analyst unafraid to give his opinions, but without rash or harsh commentary. His take on Murray echoes a lot of what we've just said: Murray has shown growth throughout his career and gotten better, but there remains room to improve. But note an operative word in his quote: "ability." Warner says Murray has "the ability to improve." That, folks, is what we call a vote of confidence.

Meanwhile, Murray spoke at a press conference recently to discuss his thoughts on his development and had this to say:

“I think that's just the maturation of the game as you get older. Talking to (Hall of Fame Quarterback) Peyton (Manning) in Denver (and) those types of things… you really cherish those. The checkdowns, the throwing, the ball away or taking a sack when you need to or not taking a sack… just the little nuances of the position that when you're a rookie (or) second-year guy, you don't really understand or (when) you're in college, you don't understand.

"Just being in that position now as an older dude knowing what we're trying to accomplish. Not always trying to make the flashy play and just keeping the offense on schedule, we’ll be fine.”

Maturation is everyone's favorite word to use when debating Murray, but in a very different definition. In this sense, however, it is where we need to see the most improvement in Murray's game.

Kyler Murray Maturing in 2025

It's easy for guys as supremely talented as Murray is to go and make the big plays that get you on SportsCenter's Top 10 or go viral online; he's no stranger to doing that throughout his life. But it's as he said that sometimes it's about taking what's available and staying on schedule. We've seen that from Murray quite a bit over the last 365 days, too. When Murray was minimizing his mistakes, the Cardinals were winning football games. The opposite was true when he was turning the ball over.

For Murray, a lot of his struggles have been attributed to the little mistakes -- bad reads, decision-making, holding on to the ball too long, trying to do too much... but once the game truly slows down for Murray, we will see him at his best. We've seen time and time again that he isn't Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes in terms of guys who can turn the game on its head with their playmaking.

Yes, Murray is quite capable of that, but he's at his best when he's playing with a cool head and not trying to break the defense down as an athlete. Instead, he breaks a defense down with precision, smarts, and using his God-given gifts at the right time.

So as far as what Warner had to say, he nailed it. In what Murray had to say, he seems to understand what nuances he has to work on to turn this thing around. Identifying those areas of weakness is half the battle, but talk is cheap.

We've been asking all offseason for Murray to turn his game around in 2025 -- perhaps the most pivotal season of his career. We've seen glimpses of such, and his first game against the New Orleans Saints was more than good enough. But it's a long season, and one good game against a bad team isn't enough.

Keep Warner's words and Murray's self-assessments in mind as we go through the rest of the season, as it will be worth going back to see how things unfolded.