Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is entering his third NFL season.
He was the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Kyler Murray’s career is off to a pretty decent start…#AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/t9ZoNuE65M
— Raising Zona (@RaisingZona) June 4, 2021
Though his contract has a fifth-year option which could keep him with the Cardinals through the end of the 2023 season, Murray may be already doing some preliminary work on the extension.
How is he doing this?
He continues to talk about his interest in Major League Baseball; this is a wise move because he can use it as leverage.
Murray could easily embark on a MLB career; he was drafted by the Oakland A’s in 2019.
In the end, the Heisman Trophy winner picked football.
Kyler Murray officially chooses football ⤵️ https://t.co/PialR0Ik2S
— Football Unwrapped (@FootballUSN) February 11, 2019
What He Said Recently
On June 10, Murray brought up his interest in playing baseball to Darren Urban, a reporter for the Cardinals official team website.
Kyler Murray continues to talk about playing pro baseball at some point. He knows he can't, he acknowledges the Cardinals certainly aren't thinking that way, but he says — with a smile — he doesn't want to close the door.
"I'm not trying to start anything, I'm just talking."
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) June 10, 2021
That is an interesting media outlet to bring up the topic under the auspices of “not trying to start anything.”
Of course, the front office is hanging on to every word he said in that interview and wondering what his next moves might be.
Whether he is genuinely considering a baseball career is immaterial at this point; the fact that he mentions it could be leverage for any contract extensions that could occur with the Cardinals.
What It Means For Murray
Murray is only 23 years old.
18. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
11. AJ Brown, WR, Titans
8. DK Metcalf, WR, Seahawks
7. Kyler Murray, QB, CardinalsRanking the Top 25 NFL Players Under 25: https://t.co/WzbBYlZc1N pic.twitter.com/TWHavJ09Lv
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) June 8, 2021
He is astute enough to pay attention to what is happening with other franchise quarterbacks in the NFL.
Consider the words and actions of Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers in the offseason.
Murray knows that Wilson opted to stay put, yet it remains to be seen who wins the tug-of-war between the future Hall-of-Famer Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Then, there are the trades of starting quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, and Matthew Stafford.
Mitchell Trubisky‘s fifth-year option was not picked up by the Chicago Bears.
The balance of power between NFL quarterbacks and the teams they play for has fallen largely to the teams.
Some would argue this is how it should be.
Who could fault a young athlete who has a true path to success in two professional sports from reminding the Cardinals that he can excel in a different sport?
He should leverage his position.
What It Means For The Cardinals
The Cardinals have not been a true contender since Hall-of-Famer Kurt Warner led them to the Super Bowl during the 2008 season.
If they value what they have in Murray, they need to invest in a supporting roster of players to help him and the team achieve success.
The Cardinals need to take note of what is happening with Wilson and Rodgers.
They should listen to what Murray is saying and continue to spend money to improve the Cardinals offense.
If not, he can walk, and the Cardinals could end up with absolutely nothing in the aftermath of him joining MLB.
We will continue to watch and listen to what Murray says and does as the season begins because this is likely not the last time we hear about his potential baseball career.
NEXT: Why Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury Is On The Hot Seat In 2021