With the offseason in full swing, it is time to take a look at the emerging Kyler Murray situation and his issues with the Arizona Cardinals.
This manifested itself for the world to see during the Pro Bowl when Murray wiped his social media accounts clean of any reference to the Cardinals.
Check out my TikTok discussing the heightening quarterback problem in Arizona.
@brownsspice
Murray Is Upset, and The Cardinals Are Making It Worse
The odd vibe between the @AZCardinals and Kyler Murray is indeed alarming:
Murray is described as self-centered, immature and finger pointer, per sources.
Murray is frustrated with franchise and was embarrassed by playoff loss to Rams and thinks he’s been framed as the scapegoat— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) February 13, 2022
The Cardinals were riding high on the Murray tidal wave when he led the team to a 7-0 start.
Now, when he appears upset, they decide to have sources reveal that he is “self-centered” and “immature”.
This seems like a terrible way to handle the situation, and as expected, Murray did not take too kindly to the Cardinals’ sources making such statements.
He was forced to defend his own character.
An excerpt of what Murray posted on Instagram reads as follows:
“All of this nonsense is not what I’m about, never has been, never will be. Anyone who has ever stepped between those lines with me knows how hard I go. Love me or hate me but I’m going to continue to grow and get better.”
Kyler Murray speaks out after reports of friction with the Cardinals pic.twitter.com/6BhRdvc3SC
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 15, 2022
J.J. Watt Did Not Help Matters
It is not clear what J.J. Watt‘s intentions were with his TikTok alluding to the Murray problems, but it cannot be helping the cause.
JJ Watt weighs in on the recent Kyler Murray drama
🎥 via: TikTok// jjwatt pic.twitter.com/jawbWlzx2F— Kenny King Jr (@KennyKing_Jr) February 12, 2022
Watt is perhaps making light of the situation, but he should also be concerned about it.
He is in the latter stages of his career and is desperate to get to the Super Bowl; this situation with Murray does not help him either.
What Will The Cardinals Do?
Murray is entering his fourth NFL season.
The Cardinals have until May 5 to exercise his fifth-year option which could effectively bind him to the Cardinals until the end of the 2023 season.
Through three seasons, Murray was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and selected for the Pro Bowl in both 2020 and 2021.
After making the Pro Bowl for a second time, Kyler Murray's fifth-year option will now cost the equivalent of a QB franchise tag.
2022 cap hit: $11.4M
2023 projected: $29.7M— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) December 23, 2021
Do the Cardinals really want to part ways with Murray?
It would be an odd turn of events after a good season.
There would be teams interested, but would the Cardinals get a better quarterback in return if they made a trade?
Kyler Murray recently took down stuff involving the Cardinals on his IG… if he wants out I’d assume the #Colts would at least attempt a trade for him…
Would you like to see it?👀 pic.twitter.com/ToYOfVPOeG
— Colts Coverage (@Colts_Coverage) February 7, 2022
Conclusion
The ball is in the Cardinals court to fix this mess quickly.
Now that the NFL is in the offseason, there is less communication so hard feelings can fester.
The Cardinals need to call Murray in, and all parties need to sit down together and hash out whatever the underlying issues are.
If the Cardinals perceive that Murray is self-centered and Murray believes the Cardinals are scapegoating him, these issues need to be aired out and resolved.
Murray appears to be a good fit for the Cardinals, and it seems weird that they would want to shop around for another quarterback at this point.
They should exercise his fifth-year option, and both parties should work together to smooth this over so the team gets off to a positive start in 2022.
NEXT: Cardinals Trying To Follow A Super Bowl Trend Next Season