It was supposed to be a great week from the Cardinals. It was anything but that.
They’d signed their franchise quarterback to a deal that ostensibly keeps him around for seven years. They’d introduced an awesome alternate helmet. They’d opened training camp with the same glass-half-full optimism that permeates the league.
Along the way, they stepped on a rake, thanks to the misguided decision to insist that Kyler Murray’s new contract reduce to writing a requirement to put in four hours of film study per week.
So why did they try to un-step on it?
Here’s a theory, one that may be supported by chatter that has made the rounds in league circles. Murray, as the rumors go, was (and perhaps still is) considering the possibility of firing agent Erik Burkhardt. If that happens, the new agent make no money at all under the deal Burkhardt negotiated. Instead, the new agent would get paid only if/when the current deal is ripped up and replaced with a new one.
The Cardinals surely don’t want Murray to have a new agent. If he gets one, the Cardinals immediately are on the clock to do a new deal -- especially if the new agent demands what would essentially be a financial apology from the team.
So it was smart to get rid of it. It would have been smarter to never have it in the first place. Still, every team makes mistakes. Some teams rectify them, and other teams double down. To their credit, the Cardinals didn’t double down.
None of this changes the fact that the entire episode raises questions about Murray that previously didn’t exist. That won’t change, and that could set the stage for an eventual divorce.