The time for Kyler Murray to step up and lead the Arizona Cardinals is now.
Murray, 27, is entering his seventh NFL season and has shown flashes of greatness — but has never fully put it all together.
The Cardinals have made just one playoff appearance with Murray under center, a Wild Card loss in 2021. That’s part of why his five-year, $230 million contract extension has come under scrutiny. Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna recently called it one of the worst-aged contracts in the NFL and labeled Murray “overpaid.”
“He is as physically gifted as any player in the league,” McKenna wrote. “He plays with flair — even his scrambling is dramatic because of the way he runs. He makes highlight plays that are truly transcendent. But he can’t figure out how to convert those big plays into wins. Ultimately, Murray is 1) either incapable of putting the team on his back, or 2) incapable of picking the right moments to put the team on his back, or 3) both.”
McKenna even went as far as labeling Murray a “social media quarterback.”
“Unless he turns a corner with his decision-making and patience — this season — he might find himself on the hot seat in Arizona,” McKenna added.
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CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin echoed the pressure on Murray, saying the quarterback will be heavily relied upon to change the franchise’s direction in 2025.
“The defense looks much improved after they prioritized both experience (Josh Sweat) and upside (Walter Nolen) in the front seven,” Benjamin wrote. “Still, Jonathan Gannon’s squad isn’t going anywhere if its veteran quarterback, who’s already entering Year 7 in the desert, doesn’t make strides as a consistent passer.”
Murray holds a 36-45-1 record as a starter. After returning from an ACL injury in 2023, he helped keep Arizona competitive but the Cardinals lost five of their final seven games, ultimately falling short of a postseason berth.
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