On Thursday, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray broke his silence regarding the apparent signs of trouble between him and the team, while speaking at an offseason event. He said, in my view, what he had to say. He didn’t say what he actually believes.
He can’t. He won’t. He shouldn’t. No one benefits from Murray saying, for example, “If they don’t give me what I want, I want out.”
I believe that he believes he has earned a second contract. I believe that he believes the team’s offers have fallen far short of what he deserves. I believe that he believes the gap between the team’s offer and his expectation is significant.
The questions are simple at this point. One, how big is the divide? Two, can it be bridged?
Not long ago, the process of negotiating second contracts for quarterbacks landing on the “pass” side of the boom-or-bust line was simple. The next guy in line for a new contract became the highest-paid player in league history, by roughly $500,000 per year or so. After Patrick Mahomes pushed the top of the market to $45 million per year, things began to change. Quarterbacks now land in spots other than the top of the market, especially since multiple deals worth less per year (e.g., Dak Prescott at $40 million per year) are actually better than the Mahomes contract.
So where does Murray hope to land among the collection of franchise quarterback contracts? Where do the Cardinals want him to land?
Through it all, it’s important to remember that there could be an eff-them-picks franchise that may be willing to offers a significant compensation package to the Cardinals and to give Murray the contract he wants.
Recent developments in the league at large won’t make Murray less willing to explore his options elsewhere, that’s for sure. If anything, the ability of disgruntled players to find new destinations where they become properly gruntled will make Murray even more determined to work through his agent, Erik Burkhardt, in an effort to get the contract Murray thinks he deserves, from the Cardinals or someone else.
Of course the Cardinals are wiling to give him a second contract. But how much should it be worth, and how should it be structured? That’s the core of the problem between Murray and the Cardinals, and that’s the potential impasse that could result in Murray possibly staying away from the team, starting next month with the launch of the offseason program.
