When Cardinals Knew Kyler Murray Was Their Guy

Plenty of speculation surrounded the Arizona Cardinals heading into 2023, and rightfully so.

The changing of regimes brought in new faces such as GM Monti Ossenfort and HC Jonathan Gannon, which often follows with swift changes from top to bottom.

There were changes - certainly - though all attention was on the future of quarterback Kyler Murray. With a fresh handle in the desert, nobody would have blamed the front office or coaching staff for wanting to get a fresh face in the mix - one they acquired themselves - rather than hitching their wagon to a quarterback coming off a serious knee injury with hefty financial commitments coming down the road.

Yet Ossenfort and Gannon were quite adamant that Murray was their guy, taking any and every opportunity to say just that in front of microphones. Of course, that could just be GM talk, as Cardinals fans remember a similar sentiment about Josh Rosen before Murray arrived himself as the No. 1 overall pick. 

There's been plenty said about Murray for both on and off the field reasons. Some warranted. Some not. 

After one season under their watch, Arizona's new regime doesn't just like Murray. 

They love him. 

"The Arizona Cardinals love Kyler Murray," wrote Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. 

"I didn’t think I’d be writing that a year ago—when everyone thought Arizona would be the worst team in the league, preparing to draft Williams and offload Murray in 2024—but that’s where we are. And the team has now backed up the feelings it expressed on social media in a very big way.

"By carrying Murray on the roster through the weekend, they locked in a $29.9 million guarantee for him for 2025. Now, it’s not like they could’ve just cut him without penalty (not that they’d considered it) over the last couple of weeks, since his $35.3 million for this coming season is already locked in. But if GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon had any intention on bailing, doing it sooner would’ve been better than later."

Breer went on to highlight a handful of things Murray did to earn people over in Arizona, ranging from working out/rehabbing at the facility to building relationships early with fresh faces. 

Where Murray really won people over? The team's upset road victory against the Philadelphia Eagles:

"That Eagles game was where Murray’s steps in the offense turned a corner. As Gannon, Petzing and the staff called out things on the headset (throw the slant), they saw a quarterback who was running the offense as they saw it, with his actions closely matching those little missives between the coaches. And as for Murray’s one mistake, a pick, he quickly told them after: 'I f---ed up.'" wrote Breer.

"And in that game, there was also a single play that showed Murray’s poise. In the fourth quarter, on fourth-and-4 from Philadelphia’s 5-yard line, Gannon decided to go for it. The Eagles threw a zero blitz at the quarterback. Murray quickly digested it and threw the ball to a spot where Michael Wilson would corral it for a touchdown to tie the game at 28.

"On the play, Murray was coachable, he was gutsy and he was clutch. By then, the Cardinals knew they had a quarterback they could build around."

The play in question: