Team workouts, OTAs and even mandatory minicamp mark the part of the offseason when virtually everything you hear from NFL players and coaches is positive and optimistic.
That rings true for the Arizona Cardinals.
However, a recent comment by quarterback Kyler Murray stood out.
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On Wednesday, when he spoke with reporters for the first time during the offseason, he said, “It’s felt like one of the best offseasons I’ve had in a long time. It makes a difference when I’m out there.”
While this is typical for the type of comment we hear from players and coaches every year, this time it isn’t hyperbolic.
It literally has been the best offseason he has had since getting to the NFL.
Here is a timeline:
2019: It was his rookie season. That is always a whirlwind. He was learning the offense with a new head coach and how to be a player in the NFL.
2020: It was the pandemic year, and there was no on-field offseason work.
2021: Still with the effects of the pandemic, the NFLPA urged players to not show up for voluntary work. Murray and many veterans stayed home.
2022: Murray only showed up for a little bit of voluntary work, as he was pushing for a contract extension that he eventually got.
2023: He could not do any on-field work because he was rehabbing a torn ACL.
This offseason is the first time since his rookie season that he has had a full program, so it literally is the best offseason he has had in a long time.
What is also telling is the statement of the difference it makes when he is there. That shows growth. He was content working out on his own in Texas or bringing teammates out to work with him.
It is the first time as a veteran that he has been on the field for all of the offseason program.
His contract included heavy incentives for him to participate in the offseason program. That’s what got him in the building. Now he sees why it matters as the field general.
Normally, Cardinals fans should smile and shrug off such cliche offseason comments, but this time it truly is a cause for excitement.
