New Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon makes strong statement on Kyler Murray

It sounds like new Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon isn't too bothered about negative headlines that have hovered over the status of quarterback Kyler Murray this winter. 

Gannon previously served as defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles and spoke with reporters Thursday about what he's looking for in an offensive coordinator. 

"I have a very specific vision of how I want to play on offense," Gannon explained, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "And the person that comes in here to run the offense is going to understand that everything we do will be structured around the quarterback position to maximize his skillset — and we have an elite one." 

Murray is a two-time Pro Bowl selection who signed a five-year contract extension last summer reportedly worth $230.5 million with $160M guaranteed. The 25-year-old then largely played beneath the value of that deal under former head coach Kliff Kingsbury this past season, and the signal-caller required ACL surgery that included meniscus repair in early January to address an injury he suffered on Dec. 12. 

After Murray went under the knife, well-known NFL insider Michael Silver reported that an unnamed Cardinals veteran claimed that "it was like they created a monster" when the club paid the quarterback. Ahead of the Super Bowl LVII matchup between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, a different story suggested that top-tier coaching candidates such as Sean Payton had turned the Cardinals down because those individuals didn't want their job securities tied to Murray's successes and/or failures. 

Gannon seemed to pour cold water over any notion he and Murray won't be fast friends. 

"We're going to have a great relationship," Gannon added about his QB1, according to Darren Urban of the Cardinals' website. "He's a direct reflection of me. That position is the player that's most like a coach on that field."

Gannon offered this public vote of confidence as Murray's status for next season remains up in the air. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Jeremy Bergman) reported in late January that Murray realistically could miss at least half of the 2023 campaign if he isn't "100%" before that time.