Cardinals HC has major request for QB Kyler Murray ahead of critical season

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray recently revealed that he's just now feeling "back to where [he] was before" he suffered a serious knee injury in December 2022 that left him needing ACL surgery and some meniscus repair. 

During a chat with Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano in an article published on Friday, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon suggested he wants to see more off-schedule plays from Murray during what could be a critical season. 

"The extension plays, those happen naturally," Gannon explained. "You don’t know when they’re going to pop off. ...The media would ask me, 'Oh, [Murray] only had three carries.' Well, we called six quarterback runs, and he had to give [the ball up] because the defense forced the gives. I do think, though, that’s one of our emphases. The hot spots for us to generate some explosives off schedule, which I think we can do a better job of. We took a deep, hard look at how teams are doing that and how it could fit for us."

Murray hasn't lived up to the expectations the Cardinals had for him when they signed him to a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $230.5M with $160M guaranteed in the summer of 2022. He returned from the December 2022 setback in November 2023, but he then tweaked the repaired knee in Week 1 of the 2024 season. 

Nevertheless, Murray finished the campaign ranked eighth in the league with a combined 4,423 passing and rushing yards. He was also tied for 12th with 26 combined passing and rushing touchdowns. 

While those stats are impressive, they don't erase the fact that the first overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft has zero playoff wins on his career resume. Some believe the Cardinals could look to move on from Murray, along with Gannon and/or general manager Monti Ossenfort, if the club fails to notch a postseason victory this season.

"I feel good about where we put our energy and effort into," Gannon added about where the Cardinals are this summer. "Hopefully get the most bang for our buck." 

Murray will receive his first opportunity to impress when the Cardinals open the season on Sept. 7 at the New Orleans Saints, who are projected to be one of the league's worst teams. As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Arizona as a 5.5-point road favorite for that game.