The Arizona Cardinals went out and paid their franchise quarterback Kyler Murray a massive contract.
It is said that you pay a player for what they are going to do, not for what they have done.
Now it is time for Murray to play up to his contract.
Highest total contract value in NFL history:
Patrick Mahomes: $450M
Russell Wilson: $296M
Josh Allen: $258M
Kyler Murray: $230.5M pic.twitter.com/cjDbvKiJ49— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 1, 2022
In three seasons, Murray has a record of 22-23-1 and has yet to have a dominant passing season.
His career high in passing touchdowns is 26 while he has also thrown at least 10 interceptions in every season.
Murray is one of the true dual-threat quarterbacks in the league.
But, his rushing ability can lead to injury which it did last season.
The 25-year-old missed three games last season with an ankle injury and seemingly never got back to full strength.
One big knock against Murray is his lack of postseason success.
Last season was the first chance Murray had in the playoffs, and he did not play well.
The Cardinals got crushed by the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and Murray was bad in the game.
He was 19 of 34 for 137 yards and two interceptions.
You do not pay a QB top-tier money for those types of performances when everything is on the line.
There were questions about Murray’s commitment level when a clause in his contract was leaked that said he needed four hours of “independent film study” per week.
The noise around that clause forced the Cardinals to remove it.
But, they thought it was necessary when the deal was signed so that is not a great look.
This is a massive season for Murray and the expectations will be high as ever.
Murray’s Expectations
With the pressure of the new deal, Murray must lead the Cardinals back to the playoffs in 2022.
Also, he has to do it without his number one receiver in DeAndre Hopkins.
The Cardinals still have a good group of skilled players around Murray including James Conner, Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, and Zach Ertz.
KYLER MURRAY 77 YARD TOUCHDOWN 🔥 (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/XF5raJOyFd
— Overtime (@overtime) September 19, 2021
Murray is going to have to carry this team through a tough division in the NFC West.
You could argue the Cardinals have the third-best roster in this division but that is no excuse.
Last season, Arizona was the first Wild Card team as the fifth seed.
Murray has a lot to build on from last season.
According to PlayerProfiler, he was number one in the NFL in money throws.
He had 45 of such throws which are said to be ” a pass requiring exceptional skill or athleticism as well as critical throws executed in clutch moments.”
He was also top five in yards per attempt (7.9) and true passer rating (106.9).
Murray has all the ability in the world now is the time for him to put it all together.
He should be expected to throw at least 30 touchdowns and add another five rushing.
Also, he should be able to go over 4,000 passing yards for the first time in his career.
But, this contract will be worth it if Murray has success in the postseason.
After floundering last season, this season’s playoffs will be a great chance for him to show he was worth every penny.
NEXT: The Cardinals Have Lost Their Top Backup QB