Could the Arizona Cardinals really trade quarterback Kyler Murray before the 2022 NFL draft?
One NFL analyst thinks it’s a very real possibility, even saying over the weekend that “I think we’ve seen the last of Kyler Murray in an Arizona Cardinals uniform.”
The analyst, former NFL wide receiver James Jones explained his reasoning on a recent appearance on the NFL Network’s NFL Total Access show.
“I think Kyler Murray is out of here,” Jones said. “I think Kyler Murray is not going to be in Arizona going into this season. It’s just too much. It’s been too much. Since he’s came into this organization, especially this season, it’s always been ‘well, this ain’t right. That ain’t right. Well this happened and that happened.’ It’s just been too much. So I think the organization is like ‘you know what? There’s a lot of teams out there with some draft capital. This is a young phenom, a young superstar in the National Football League, possible could win one or two MVP’s.’
Jones continued: “I think he’s out of Arizona, I think somebody is going to give a deal to the Arizona Cardinals that gets Kyler Murray out of there and gets him on a new team. There’s just too much draft capital and there’s too much going on I don’t know if the organization wants to deal with. And even if you do pay him I see this happening again. I see some problems with Kyler Murray, ‘The roster ain’t this’ or something may happen. I think we’ve seen the last of Kyler Murray in an Arizona Cardinals uniform.”
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Speculation surrounding Murray and the Cardinals has run rampant all offseason and it began to swirl again last week when NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that the quarterback’s agent removed his opening contract proposal with the Arizona Cardinals and that other NFL teams were monitoring the situation between Murray and the Cardinals, who have been embroiled in a contract saga this offseason since the quarterback scraped his social media of Arizona Cardinals photos.
Pelissero also speculated that Murray would not play in 2022 under his current deal with the team.
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Not everyone, however, thinks that Arizona will trade their young quarterback.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported that NFL executives don’t expect the Cardinals to trade Murray.
He said: “They think that Arizona knows that they have a good situation with him, a franchise quarterback. And that really Arizona, I’m told, has budgeted for having to re-sign Murray for a while now. They knew this day was coming, just probably a little earlier than they thought it would based on the pressure that Murray and his agent have put on things. Now, I’m told that Murray has talked to teammates and been encouraging as in, ‘Hey, look, I love Arizona, I think I’m going to be here, things should work out.’ Still some questions whether he’ll show up for offseason workouts coming up, given his contract situation. And something’s going to have to reach a boiling point, because he’s going to want a deal soon, possibly around draft time. If it doesn’t happen by then, things could get even more complicated.”
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The speculation continues, however.
The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin wrote that Arizona might want to listen to Murray, if he indeed wants out of Arizona.
He wrote: “But the Cardinals may want to consider setting him free. Murray may not be worth the money or the drama, and the Cardinals could come out even, or even ahead, with a trade. First, consider that Murray has a few concerning traits that should give any team pause about making a big investment. He is an undersized quarterback (generously listed at 5 feet 10 inches) who missed three games last year, isn’t a great pocket passer, hasn’t won a playoff game in three seasons, and has been criticized for a lack of maturity and leadership. Murray struggled once DeAndre Hopkins got hurt last year, and the Cardinals wheezed to the finish line, losing five of their last six games. Murray draws comparison with Russell Wilson, but he’s no Russell Wilson, who went to two Super Bowls in his first three seasons and is a savvier player. The Cardinals could also get a lot in return for Murray. The Panthers, reeking of desperation, surely would offer multiple first-round picks and more to finally get their hands on a franchise quarterback.”
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CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin wrote that there would be no shortage of suitors for Murray, and listed 10 “logical landing spots” for the quarterback with the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints leading the list.
One site even released odds for Murray’s next team.
Odds Checker had the Cardinals at -500, or an implied chance of 83.3% to keep Murray, but interestingly placed the Dallas Cowboys as the favorite to land Murray, should he leave Arizona.
Dallas was given +800 odds, or an implied chance of 11.1% to land Murray.
The Atlanta Falcons were at +1000 (9.1% chance).
The Pittsburgh Steelers were given +1600 odds (5.9%).
The Philadelphia Eagles were at +2200 (4.3%). The Houston Texans were given +3000 odds (3.2%).
Do you think the Cardinals could really trade Kyler Murray?
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray will be traded, NFL analyst says