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»Anonymous Cardinals teammate: Kyler Murray “created a monster”«
Things are not going particularly well in the desert at present.
After the conclusion of the 2022 season, the Arizona Cardinals fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury and saw general manager Steve Keim resign for health concerns. The only significant returning player is quarterback Kyler Murray, who received a five-year, $230 million contract in the summer.
According to one unnamed Cardinals veteran, that massive contract deal may not have been the best decision.
The footballer told Bally Sports, “It was as if they created a monster.”
Murray, 25, “felt less compulsion to study his game plan or fulfill the expectations of the franchise quarterback position,” according to the source. The Cardinals’ collapse in 2022, when they finished 4-13 a year after making the playoffs, was therefore “predictable.”
After Murray signed his contract, it was discovered that the Cardinals included a condition in the fine print requiring him to do four hours of “independent study” per game week, during which he was forced to study the playbook. It was an unusual inclusion to a National Football League contract, and as a result, the franchise ultimately removed the clause.
Perhaps eliminating the “independent study” requirement was a poor decision.
It was also believed that Murray and Kingsbury’s friendship had begun to deteriorate over the difficult season. The squad fired the coach on the Monday following the conclusion of the regular season.
Murray had an ACL tear at the conclusion of the 2022 season and may not be able to return for the 2023 campaign; if he does, his mobility, a crucial aspect of his game, may be compromised. Murray may not feel tempted to push himself too hard in his return from injury, leaving the team looking for answers at quarterback.
Kyler Murray is carried off the field after suffering a torn ACL.
For a team seeking a new head coach and general manager, it is certainly not the simplest proposition.
»Anonymous Cardinals teammate: Kyler Murray “created a monster”«