Pros of a Kyler Murray extension
The obvious pro with bringing Kyler Murray back would imply stability at the quarterback position. It’s something the Cardinals have not had in a long time. And Murray would be the first quarterback under the age of thirty to provide stability to the position since Neil Lomax.
I hesitate to place Jake Plummer’s name given his 90 touchdown passes to 114 interceptions. Plummer also never earned a Pro Bowl nod with the Cardinals, despite his six seasons with the franchise. Okay, Plummer did something Murray has yet to do: He led the Cardinals to their first playoff win in over 50 seasons.
But then again, the Cardinals 1998 season was something of a fluke, at least according to Football Outsiders.
"“1998 also brought us one of the greatest fluke teams of all time, the 1998 Arizona Cardinals, who went 9-7 despite getting outscored by their opponents 378-325. They rank 25th in DVOA below three different 4-12 teams. One of those teams is the St. Louis Rams, so we can finally answer the question: Was there any indication that the Rams were going to burst from out of nowhere to win the next year’s Super Bowl?”"
Clearly, you need to put an asterisk on Plummer’s unforgettable 1998 season. So basically, Plummer never gave the Cardinals stability at the position.
Signing Murray to an extension also lets Kingsbury continue to develop game plans based around his strengths. If a new quarterback came to town following the 2022 season with a different skill-set, it could set the Cardinals back a year or two.
Also, Murray has chemistry with Zach Ertz, Maxx Williams, DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore, and James Conner. That chemistry should continue to point north. And an extension will further sway the existing skill players to stick around.