Kyler Murray extends contract with Cardinals, analysts weigh in

According to some sources, Kyler Murray just signed a five-year extension with the Cardinals that will last until 2028. As per the NFL Network, the contract is worth $230,5 million and includes a guaranteed $160 million. However, this agreement is not without criticisms. Check out the best new bookmakers for betting on the NFL.

The contract provided him with one of the highest annual salaries in NFL history, at $46,1 million, ranking him second on the list of the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks.

Murray is only one spot behind Aaron Rodgers in terms of annual average salary with the Packers. He also outperforms other players such as Deshaun Watson ($46 million), Patrick Mahomes ($45 million), and Josh Allen ($43 million). Deshaun Watson is now $500,000 behind him in terms of the overall deal worth due to his extension.

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The Murray-Cardinals agreement, which creates a new market benchmark for the position at $46,1 million per year, will also probably have an influence on the ongoing key negotiations with Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.

“It’s a blessing,” Murray’s response to a press conference’s question about the contract. “I’m so grateful and honored for the confidence that they’ve shown in me and the faith that they showed me.”

There was “zero chance,” according to Cardinals general manager Steve Keim, that Arizona would trade Murray. Hence, later that month, the team chose to exercise Murray’s fifth-year option.

Since joining the team, Murray, the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has made a significant contribution to Arizona. Along with 1,786 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, he has thrown for 11,480 yards with 70 touchdowns and 34 interceptions.

He has been chosen for the Pro Bowl twice, and in each of his first three seasons (87.4 in 2019, 94.3 in 2020, and 100.6 in 2021), his passer rating has increased.

Despite the agonizing loss to the Rams, the Cardinals have improved every year, going from 5-10-1 to 8-8 two years ago and 11-6 last season. This improvement has been most noticeable during Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s three-year contract.

It is also worth noting that Murray previously played baseball for the Oklahoma Sooners before deciding to play football, which led to this lucrative contract.

Analysts weigh in

An NFL commentator chastised the Cardinals for paying Murray such a large sum that, on an annual basis, he is the NFL’s second-highest paid player.

Emmanuel Acho called the contract a “huge mistake” during an appearance on FS1’s Speak for Yourself.

“You want to pay a guy $230 million with a losing record. You want to pay a guy $230 million with one playoff appearance. You want to pay a guy $230 million with no playoff wins,” Acho noted.

“I’m [a] former player, I’m glad Kyler got his money. But it was a huge mistake. It was a catastrophic mistake for the cardinals because he has not yet done anything to dictate that he deserved this kind of money,” he remarked.

Clay Travis also talked about Murray’s new contract and what it means for the Cardinals, highlighting that Murray’s performance during the last stretch of the season was not particularly strong.