What a roller coaster of a year it’s been for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. More than a year, really, as he spent time at odds with the Cardinals thanks to a contract dispute in early 2022, before he finally signed a deal that contained an ill-fated “study clause.”
Then came the endless injuries to key players, Murray’s inability to make the team better in the face of adversity, the sideline altercations, and the social media spats. Overall, 2022 was by far Murray’s worst year with the team, and his season couldn’t have ended any worse.
Luckily, Murray seems to be flipping the script this offseason. And here are three ways the 25-year-old has matured so far.
How Arizona Cardinals quarterback matured this offseason
1 - Murray was present at offseason workouts
In April, I wrote that Kyler Murray took a step forward when he showed up for the Arizona Cardinals offseason workouts. His presence continued throughout the summer’s offseason program, and it was a stark contrast from his regular no-shows in years’ past.
This shows that Murray wants to be part of this team for the long-term, and it also implies he wants to be the Cardinals leader. Should Murray stay in a cardinal red jersey from here on out, expect this to become more of the norm.
2 - He laughed at criticism
A few days ago, I wrote a piece on how Murray just went from being one of the league’s most overrated players to becoming “severely underrated.” Having shown up in the sixth of a seven-tiered quarterback ranking, the Kyler Murray of 2022 would have probably taken to social media to utter some harsh words.
That didn’t happen this year, and instead, Murray simply laughed off the criticism. That’s exactly what you need from a mature player who should be taking everything in stride.
3 - He’s raring to return to the field
"“You can tell he’s really, really locked in, how much he’s itching to get back out there. He’s behind the huddles every play, so really locked in and really excited for his return and just his whole process.” "Jonathan Gannon
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon summed it up better than anyone else. In the past, we saw flashes of passion from Murray, but then again, what was a “study clause” doing in his original contract extension? That’s a question every fan had a right to ask last season, and it implies that Murray didn’t hold football to a high pedigree.
But following the offseason program, that narrative appears to have changed for the better, with Murray giving every indication that he will come back stronger than he was before he tore his ACL. And if that’s the case, then the Arizona Cardinals might be a little more competitive this season than they’ve been in the past.
Source: Why Kyler Murray's offseason has earned praise from Cardinals coaches, teammates by Josh Weinfuss, ESPN.com