Going into 2023, many wondered if Kyler Murray had taken his final snap as Arizona Cardinals quarterback.
The youngster was recovering from a torn ACL he suffered during the second half of last season, and rumors persisted that the Cardinals were preparing to move on from him.
Murray ultimately returned to the field last month, and while he certainly looks like he has a while to go, the trade rumors have died down.
As for whether or not all of the chatter bothered Murray, he says he never really felt like Arizona may have been looking to head in another direction.
“I don’t think that’s everybody’s situation, but no, I personally don’t feel that way,” Murray said, via Donnie Druin of Fan Nation. “Also, I dealt with the whole thing last year. It’s a situation that you all know about. I don’t feel that way. I’m worried about playing football.”
The Cardinals are just 3-11, so they stand a great chance of having the opportunity to select one of the top quarterbacks in this upcoming draft class. But as of right now, it appears that the franchise is comfortable sticking with Murray moving forward.
In five games this season, Murray has thrown for 1,075 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 62.1 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 78.4. He has also rushed for 155 yards and three scores while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Texas A&M and the University of Oklahoma, was selected by Arizona with the first overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He showed considerable promise over his first three seasons, making back-to-back trips to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2021. That prompted the Cardinals to hand him a massive $230.5 million contract extension during the summer of 2022.
While Arizona may regret giving him that deal now, it seems safe to say that Kyler Murray has shown enough to deserve another shot to show the Cardinals he can be their franchise quarterback.
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