The Arizona Cardinals Must Pay Kyler Murray

There was a lot of buzz around Kyler Murray scrubbing anything related to the Arizona Cardinals in his social media earlier this off-season. This appeared to be the beginning of Murray’s push for an extension or possible trade. Since then, he and his agent have made it clear they want to begin working on a deal with the Cardinals. The owner, Michael Bidwell, has mentioned he “sees Murray in the franchise’s long-term plan” but there has not been any report of negotiations yet. You may be asking yourself, is Murray really good enough to try and play hardball in order to get what he wants? The answer is a resounding “YES!”. I will explain.

The reason I say yes is not because he is a top 5 QB in the league, or even a definite top 10. The reason he must be extended and paid like a top 10 or even top 5 QB in the NFL (if that’s what it takes), is because he will soon be the best QB in the NFC. In reality, Murray is likely somewhere in the top 8-12 QBs currently in the NFL. In the 2022 season, he will likely be the 4th best QB in the NFC. Who is ahead of him? Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers and Matthew Stafford. While Tom Brady has more than proved doubters and father time wrong, he will retire (for real) or hit a brick wall ability wise within a couple years. I say this with about 85% certainty. Aaron Rogers just signed an extension that ties him to Green Bay through 2026, does anyone actually think he will play it out? In the case that he does, how good will he be? Rogers will turn 39 before this season’s end and while he still has his moments and is very good, he does not seem to have or allow himself to make the old school Rogers’ plays downfield. Combine this with the fact he just lost his best receiver in Adams (top 3 WR in the NFL), is it unrealistic to think he calls it quits after two years or less? I would say that scenario has a 70% chance of happening.

Lastly, Stafford is sneaky old. He recently turned 34, and keep in mind he is an “over a decade in Detroit” 34. He got beat up, broken and concussed constantly in Detroit with the Lions. While he currently seems to have plenty of zip on the ball and desire to play on the All-Star team better known as the Rams, both Stafford and the Rams may be downhill or already fallen apart two years from now. The Rams’ future cannot be too bright two plus years down the road as they have subscribed to the “F*** them draft picks” theory in the past few seasons. I would put my confidence in the Rams falling apart (meaning they’re not title contenders) after two years at around 65%.

Who else poses a threat in the NFC? Perhaps if you are a big Trey Lance fan and have faith that he will be a stud, you might say the 49ers. Thus far, his play on the field and lack of confidence from his Head Coach and GM leave plenty of doubt on his future stardom. If Lance does not work out, would it be a surprise if both Shanahan and John Lynch are gone, whether they leave on their own accord or are canned? The Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the AFC and seem to have no real plan at QB. The entire NFC South outside of Brady is a complete dumpster fire with no change in sight. The Vikings are underperforming now and are only committed to Kirk Cousins for one more year with no plan known after him. Justin Fields has been very underwhelming for the Bears and the Lions will be drafting a QB next season that will likely take a few seasons to develop. The entire NFC East has shown no real promise or commitment to the QB position in the future outside of Dak Prescott, who is good but not great.

So, I ask you who will be better at QB in 2 to 3 (max) years than the Arizona Cardinals with a healthy Kyler Murray? It appears the likely answer would be nobody. This means the Cardinals should be making the NFC Championship game at minimum if not a Super Bowl in 2 to 3 years. When you look at Kyler Murray and think, “Is he worth 40 million a year?”, remind yourself of what the future likely holds at QB everywhere else. If you choose not to spend the money, you are potentially wasting a golden opportunity and instead will be praying to find a top 10 QB like the rest of the NFC all because you were cheap. Pay the man his money and extend him, it’s an easy decision.