There was some uncertainty about Kyler Murray’s future with the Arizona Cardinals after the team’s head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, was let go. Murray had torn his ACL towards the end of the previous season, and his hefty contract didn’t match the timeline of a franchise undergoing a rebuild.
On the other hand, the Cardinals could have an opportunity to reset their quarterback clock and get some assets for the Pro Bowl quarterback by allowing the new regime to choose their quarterback.
However, during an appearance on Arizona Sports on Tuesday, first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon indicated that this scenario was unlikely.
According to Pro Football Talk, he was asked if there was any doubt about who the team’s starting quarterback would be next season.
“There is no doubt,” Gannon said via the team’s website. “‘No. 1’ is our franchise quarterback.”
Murray just led the Cardinals to a 35-31 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles. And while playing spoiler may hurt Arizona’s draft positioning, it’s pretty clear that the franchise is headed in the right direction with Murray leading the charge. Still, they could have a chance to add any of the draft’s dynamic wide receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), Malik Nabers (LSU), or Rome Odzune (Washington) — and that’s with having multiple first-round selections in 2024.
In seven games this season (3-4 record), Murray has completed 154-of-238 attempts (64.7 percent) for 1,537 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also run for 211 yards and three touchdowns on his surgically repaired knee.
With Gannon’s strong endorsement and Murray’s recent performance, the Kyler era in Arizona appears far from over. The Cardinals may be rebuilding, but they’re rebuilding around Murray.
[PFT]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.