Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray deserves fair chance with new regime

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was horrible in 2022, from poor performances on-field to his overall temperament.

There is no other way to look at Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s 2022 season than as a massive flop. From his immature me-first antics, to his pedestrian outings before an ACL tear ended his season, to his spats with teammates, coaches, and ex-teammates, Murray’s regression was nothing short of an embarrassment. 

But that doesn’t mean the sports media needs to write off the former number one overall pick as a bust, especially if Murray’s been doing and saying all the right things since his ACL injury. He’s been working out in the facility, he attended offseason workouts, he was at Jonathan Gannon’s introductory press conference, and he was also part of the uniform unveiling. 

Oh, and he had plenty of support during his statue unveiling in the days leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft. All of that said, we’ve seen a different Kyler Murray so far, and if that continues into the regular season when he inevitably returns, then yeah, he more than deserves a fair chance to remain the team’s franchise quarterback. 

Arizona Cardinals must rally behind Kyler Murray in 2023

While I fully support the Cards declining 2020 first round pick Isaiah Simmons’ fifth-year option, I’m taking the opposite approach with Murray. The main reason is obvious: He’s already signed a massive contract, so you may as well hope he lives up to it. 

And to be honest, the Cardinals have never really had one unless you count Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer lining up under center in their respective career twilights. Murray is a former Rookie of the Year and he’s been to two Pro Bowls, and while those are nothing more than popularity contests, they are career accolades, nonetheless. 

Murray has shown more than a few flashes under former head coach Kliff Kingsbury, so when he’s put into the right offense for once, he could be more than a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. So to see all these mock drafts claiming Caleb Williams will be in the desert next season is nothing short of foolish. At this point, anyway. 

Let’s wait and see what Murray can do in 2023 before we seek to dethrone him for another. Because as it stands, Murray has shown, at times, that he can become a long-term answer at quarterback. As for Williams and Maye, they won’t play a single down in the NFL until September 2024 at the earliest.

Source: NFL Mock Draft 2024: Drake Maye, Caleb Williams fight for QB1; 3 skill players picked in top 10, including TE by Ryan Wilson, CBSSports.com