One of the busiest and most thrilling offseasons in NFL history hasn't lacked in drama between quarterbacks and their teams. Aaron Rodgers' frustrations with the Green Bay Packers have ended. Baker Mayfield's bitterness toward the Cleveland Browns has reached its boiling point. But now the focus is on Kyler Murray, and his not-so-certain future with the Arizona Cardinals.
According to an NFL Media report, the former first-overall pick isn't expected to play this upcoming season unless he receives a new contract. In addition, the report says that Arizona has yet to make an offer to Murray, whose agent, Erik Burkhardt, all but ordered elite-level dollars in a lengthy statement shared earlier this offseason. Consequently, Murray's team has reportedly rescinded its own contract proposal, which means both sides have reached a standstill.
"I think the Cardinals have every right to want to see a little bit more. And not even on the field. On the field, there's no denying his talent," GoLongTD.com writer Tyler Dunne told the Reiter Than You show on Friday. "At the end of the day, he does have the leverage here. Because if you're Kyler Murray's camp, it's like, 'Go ahead and see if you can find somebody better at quarterback.' But, everything I hear is what a lot of people hear.
"He isn't necessarily the leader that they want to see at the position -- he's a little aloof and a little distant. Not that vocal. They knew that going in but they want to see a little bit more. Everything off the field is where they want to see some improvement. If you're going to pay a QB historic money, which is what Kyler Murray would like to see, you've got to have some of those intangibles, you've got to have some of that leadership. You need some of that baked in."
In early February, an ESPN report said that Murray felt he was "framed as the scapegoat" for the Cardinals' ghastly wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Criticism was warranted, as he threw for only 137 yards with two interceptions and a career-low 40.9 passer rating. Murray's ugly performance also included a costly and blooper-reel pick-six, and overall, he completed only 19 passes.
During Arizona's seven-game winning streak from September to October, the former Heisman winner posted a triple-digit passer rating six times. But, after Week 8, he reached that mark only twice. For the season, Murray completed 69-percent of his passes for 3,787 yards with 29 all-purpose touchdowns and 423 rushing yards. He also logged 10 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries. Murray is entering his fourth season, and his current cap hit is $11.3 million.
The entire NFL conversation between Dunne and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.