There are numerous avenues that the Arizona Cardinals can take to get back in a position where they are contending for an NFC West title during the 2025 season. The implementation of a ‘saucier’ offensive attack, as hinted at by tight end Trey McBride earlier in the week, is certainly one. A step forward for the defense, following some notable additions both in the trenches and in the secondary, would be another. But the most direct path the Cardinals have toward relevancy in the NFC Playoff picture runs through Kyler Murray.
The issue here is that for as many highlights and high points that Kyle Murray has been responsible for, there are just as many shortcomings. One could say that Murray is inconsistent or unreliable. But another way to put it, as NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks did earlier this week, is “enigmatic.”
Brooks defines the “enigmas” of the league as “the guys who exist in a sort of purgatory state between good and bad, young and old. Players who tease us with flashes of brilliance but lack the consistency to stamp themselves as standouts.”
Every Arizona Cardinals fan can tell you that this is a spot-on description of the Kyler Murray experience.
“At times, Murray has played at a high level and captivated the football world as an electric dual-threat quarterback,” Brooks writes. “However, the seventh-year pro sports a 36-45-1 career record and lacks a playoff win as the Cardinals’ QB1, having thrown two picks and posted a 40.9 passer rating in his lone postseason appearance.
“Though his early accomplishments prompted Arizona to sign him to a blockbuster extension (five years, $230.5 million) back in the 2022 offseason, the Cardinals need him to provide more consistent excellence to justify the return on their investment in a league that measures quarterback success by wins and rings.”
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Imagining a scenario where Kyler Murray brings the Lombardi Trophy to Arizona and gets a ring for his efforts in 2025 is far-fetched, but the Cards returning to the postseason is well within reach. The Cardinals just need to see the “good” Kyler Murray a heck of a lot more often than they see the “bad” Kyler Murray in order to have a chance.
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