Cardinals' Kyler Murray offers major health update ahead of 2025 season

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray spent portions of last season hoping he'd feel like his old self following the knee injury he suffered in December 2022 that left him needing ACL surgery and some meniscus repair.

According to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, Murray said on Monday that his knee is now "as close as it's going to get" to being 100 percent. 

"Now I feel like I'm back to where I was before that," Murray continued. "Obviously, my knee will probably never be the same as far as that goes."

Murray previously mentioned that he tweaked his knee in Week 1 of the 2024 season. That may explain why he ended the campaign with a career-low 4.59 rushing attempts per game, according to the StatMuse website. That said, the 27-year-old was able to make 17 starts for a Cardinals team that went 8-9. 

Per Pro Football Reference, Murray ended last season ranked ninth in the NFL among qualified players with a 66.5 adjusted QBR and fifth with a 51.7 percent passing success rate. StatMuse shows that Murray was ranked eighth in the league with a combined 4,423 passing and rushing yards. Additionally, he was tied for 12th with 26 combined passing and rushing touchdowns.

The Cardinals initially got Murray back in the lineup in November 2023. On Monday, he revealed that speaking with other players who suffered similar setbacks helped him realize that the second year after a return to playing is when "you finally feel like yourself."  

Arizona signed Murray to a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $230.5M with $160M guaranteed in the summer of 2022. Nevertheless, some believe the Cardinals could part ways with the first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft next offseason if he still has zero playoff wins on his career resume at that time. 

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Cardinals at +115 betting odds to make the playoffs for the upcoming season. On Monday, Murray suggested that he disagrees with such forecasts. 

"In totality of this team," he added during his comments, "this unit, I feel like, is definitely one of the best I've been a part of for sure."

Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. adding some muscle during the offseason could help him take a big leap in his second pro campaign. Harrison and Co. will look to make a statement when the Cardinals open the 2025 season with a matchup at the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 7.