The Arizona Cardinals are in a crisis because of Kyler Murray‘s potential holdout.
Murray’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, released a statement before that they intended Murray to play for a long time with the team that drafted him in 2019.
They also threatened that Murray won’t play if he will still be under his current rookie contract.
But despite the drama, the Cardinals haven’t made an offer.
As it stands, the former Oklahoma standout will be playing under a base salary of $965,000 and a cap hit of $11.3 million.
The Cardinals may also pick up a fifth-year option worth a fully-guaranteed $29.7 million.
They may even extend his tenure a bit longer before making an offer by giving him the franchise tag.
From @NFLTotalAccess on where things stand with the #Cardinals, Kyler Murray and other teams interested in the two-time Pro Bowl QB. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/hquNwrOmiP
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 15, 2022
Burkhardt argues that now is the right time to give Murray a contract extension because the quarterback market is soaring.
Aaron Rodgers‘ three-year, $150 million contract established a new ceiling, while Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr received extensions worth at least $40 million annually.
Murray’s camp believes that they deserve such value, mainly because the quarterback helped break the team’s five-year playoff drought.
In Murray’s first three seasons, the Cardinals also improved from 5-10, 8-8, and 11-6.
He’s also a threat on the ground after having 20 rushing touchdowns in his NFL career.
Murray Has The Leverage
Reality bites that there are better quarterbacks than Murray.
However, the Cardinals do not have other options but to eventually give in.
Their ability to make a postseason return will suffer if they let him sit out games.
They’ve already lost Christian Kirk and Chase Edmonds on offense.
Likewise, no other available quarterback could replace what Murray can do unless they draft Desmond Ridder or Malik Willis.
Sadly, the ball is in the Cardinals’ court because Murray’s camp has the upper hand.
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