Just when it looked like the Kyler Murray saga might finally be over, a new report emerged Tuesday with NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo shedding light on where the Cardinals stand with their disgruntled quarterback. Per Garafolo, the Cardinals want Murray to grow as a leader, citing the immaturity and poor body language he displayed throughout 2021.
These issues apparently came to a head in last month’s Wild Card Round when Murray declined to take the field with 1:05 remaining in the fourth quarter despite coaches and even veteran backup Colt McCoy encouraging him to finish the game with his teammates. The Cardinals were trailing 34-11 at the time and Murray was coming off an ankle injury that cost him three regular season games. “Murray said, ‘No, that’s it. I’m done,’’’ said Garafolo, recounting a tense exchange that occurred late in Arizona’s opening-round loss to the Rams. “A lot of Cardinals folks were not happy with that.”
Maybe Murray shouldn’t have been in the game, but showing up coaches in front of the whole team isn’t a good look for a player the Cardinals were counting on to be their franchise quarterback. Though it wasn’t quite an apology, the 24-year-old did show some remorse in a tweet posted Monday, vowing to “grow and get better.” This came days after Murray caused a social media panic by unfollowing the Cardinals and deleting most of his photos from Instagram.
A two-time Pro Bowler and former Rookie of the Year, Murray is eligible for a contract extension this offseason with hopes of becoming one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in football. The Cardinals ended a six-year playoff drought this season but collapsed down the stretch, losing five of their final six games after starting 7-0.
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