What’s next for Kyler Murray?

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On February 28th, Adam Schefter disbursed a tweet of a letter Kyler Murray's agent sent to the Arizona Cardinals. This letter stated that Murray wants to be a Cardinal long-term and is committed to taking this team to the Super bowl.

However, the agent stated that it's in the Cardinals’ best interest to prioritize a long-term deal for Murray for this to work. Since then, Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals still have not come to terms with giving him a new contract as he is coming to the end of his rookie deal.

According to Spotrac.com, “Kyler Murray signed a 4 year, $35,658,014 contract with the Arizona Cardinals, including a $23,589,924 signing bonus, $35,658,014 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $8,914,504.” This means that unless Murray and the Cardinals come to a long-term deal, he is only under contract until 2023.

Many people have been speculating why there hasn't already been a deal made for the two-time pro bowler. I believe that it has a lot to do with the Cardinals' loss in the playoffs last year. However, in 2021, the Arizona Cardinals were second in their division and 5th in the AFC, as they qualified for a wild card spot.

Their opponents were this year's Super Bowl champs, the Los Angeles Rams. While many people thought this would be a close game, the Cardinals got absolutely dominated by the Rams as they lost 34-11. Murray only threw for 137 yards and had zero touchdowns that game.

According to Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports, Murray has chosen to skip out on the team's offseason training and plans on working out on his own. While these could be possibilities for why negotiations haven't been made yet, NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero tweeted that the Cardinals plan to negotiate a long-term deal with Murray.

I certainly believe that Kyler Murray does deserve a contract extension after leading the team to 11 wins this year. Hopefully, Murray and the Cardinals can work something out soon with the NFL draft coming up in a week and a half. After that, the Cardinals have until May 2nd to pick up the 5th year option.