You can add former quarterback Terry Bradshaw to the “Kyler Murray was a reason so many coaches spurned the Arizona Cardinals” club.
Another day, another former quarterback, and another credible voice in NFL circles, stated Kyler Murray as a reason Sean Payton spurned the Arizona Cardinals in favor of the Denver Broncos. That voice belongs to none other than longtime NFL on Fox analyst Terry Bradshaw who, contrary to his rather comedic angle, was quite short when asked why Payton chose the Mile High City over the desert.
"“Arizona? No, that quarterback. He don’t want to work with the quarterback.” – via AZ Central."
Okay, this is seriously starting to get out of hand. Last week, we at Raising Zona speculated something was amiss. And now Bradshaw, who, is close to Payton thanks to their brief time together on Fox, practically confirmed that yes, Payton’s unwillingness to work with Murray led him to Denver.
Payton did not want to coach Arizona Cardinals because of quarterback
To be fair, Bradshaw also said during his interview with Newsday’s Tom Rock, that Russell Wilson also wasn’t Payton’s top choice.
"“I don’t think so (laughing), but you know what, that’s all he’s got. He’s got no choice. But I’ll tell you one thing, he’ll get the most out of him.” – via AZ Central."
So if Payton didn’t seem keen to work with either quarterback, why choose Wilson over Murray? Okay, Wilson’ has been much more of a class act than Murray, that’s a given. But here, we have a quarterback who will be just 26 years old when the season rolls around vs. one who is 33.
Wilson also looked beyond washed up over the past two seasons while Murray at least showed flashes of becoming an elite NFL quarterback. You saw this occur in droves during the first seven weeks of the 2021 season.
So why the unwillingness to work with Murray? Is he more toxic than we even thought he was, demanding a contract extension without as much as winning a playoff game? Or does it have something to do with his ACL injury?
Obviously, we may never know the answer. But if Murray has been scaring away veteran coaches, respected coaches, it’s a major red flag regarding the soon-to-be fifth-year quarterback.
Article Source: Terry Bradshaw: Sean Payton didn’t want to work with Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray by Jeremy Cluff
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