The relationship between the Cardinals and QB Kyler Murray seems to be rocky lately, something that came to a head in their playoff loss to the Rams.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Murray asked out of the game near the end of the fourth quarter when it was clear Arizona was going to lose.
“The playoff game [in Los Angeles] a minute left, the game had been decided, backup Colt McCoy encouraged Murray to finish the game with his teammates,” Garafolo said. “A banged-up Murray said no, that’s it, I’m done.”
Garafolo added Arizona took note of that decision by Murray.
“A lot of Cardinals folks were not happy with that.”
Earlier today, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen also reported the team’s disappointment with Murray, with a source describing Murray as “self-centered, immature and (a) finger pointer.”
Garafolo mentioned the team still needs to sit down with Murray to talk it out, but it would like Murray to improve as a leader.
“They’re looking for Murray to take a step forward in a number of areas. We’re talking about maturity, body language on the sideline, having a bigger voice with his teammates and leadership.”
The Cardinals put out a statement earlier today, per Pro Football Talk:
“Nothing has changed regarding our opinion and high regard for Kyler Murray. We as a team and Kyler individually have improved each year he’s been in the league. We are excited to continue that improvement in 2022 and are excited that Kyler Murray is the quarterback leading us.”