Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is one of the most frustrating players in the entirety of the NFL. He has all of the talent that you could hope for, packed into an undersized frame, but he just can't seem to put it together when it really matters.
When Murray signed his current contract in May of 2022, many analysts were screaming that it was an overpay. Three years later, they're singing the same tune. If Kyler Murray wants to shut down that narrative, he has to prove he's worth the money this season.
Kyler Murray can shut down "overpaid" narratives with a bounceback season
In a recent article, Fox Sports looked at the 15 highest-paid quarterbacks and asked the question: Are they worth their contract? Henry McKenna, the Fox Sports analyst, claimed that Kyler Murray is overpaid.
Kyler Murray is the 12th-richest quarterback in the NFL, based on Average Annual Value (AAV). At first glance, that's not so bad. Murray was recently ranked as the 15th-best quarterback in the league. At his best, he's knocking on the door of the top ten.
It gets even better when you consider how many quarterbacks considered to be better than Murray are still on rookie contracts. In PFF's quarterback rankings, two of the passers slotted ahead of Murray are still on their rookie deals. So, of the quarterbacks to receive extensions, Murray is the 13th-best. That's not bad value.
But McKenna doesn't see it that way. He says that Murray, despite his physical gifts, has not been able to live up to his expectations thus far. He even goes so far as to claim that, "Unless he turns a corner with his decision-making and patience — this season — he might find himself on the hot seat in Arizona."
Has Murray proven himself worthy of a top-tier contract? Maybe not. As fun as he is to watch, he hasn't been able to lead the Cardinals to wins. But it's hard to blame Arizona for giving him his deal. Murray, the former first-overall draft pick, has done enough to be considered a franchise quarterback. NFL teams don't let guys like that walk. The Cardinals didn't have much of a choice when the extension decision came around.
Still, Kyler Murray has some work to do to prove that he's the right man to lead the Arizona Cardinals into the future. Now, with an improved defense and continuity on offense, Murray is running out of excuses for the team's lack of wins. If he wants to prove his doubters wrong, he'll have to step it up in 2025. If he can't, the Cardinals may just start looking at other options.