Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team for health reasons.

His duties will be handled by vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris and vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network first reported the news.

The news of Keim's absence comes amid a disappointing season for the Cardinals.

Arizona announced Tuesday that quarterback Kyler Murray would be out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in Monday night's loss to the New England Patriots. Additionally, offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, tight end Zach Ertz and wide receiver Rondale Moore are all out for the year with injuries.

The Cardinals have struggled to a 4-9 record this season amid various injuries and a six-game suspension to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to start the season. Hopkins missed Arizona's first six games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy.

Arizona has one of the NFL's worst offenses, averaging 333.8 yards per game—219.1 passing yards and 114.8 rushing yards per game. Additionally, they are scoring just 21.3 points per game.

Keim is in his 10th season as general manager of the Cardinals. He began his career with the franchise in 1999 as a scout and also served in various other roles before being named GM in 2013.

Since Keim took over as general manager, the Cardinals have made the postseason just three times. They reached the NFC Championship game during the 2015 campaign, but were blown out by the Carolina Panthers 49-15.

With the Cardinals expected to miss the playoffs again this season, Keim has come under fire of late for his team's lack of success on the field. However, the 50-year-old is under contract with the Cards through 2027 after agreeing to an extension this past offseason, so he's likely sticking around for the long haul.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will miss the rest of the season after an MRI confirmed he tore his ACL during Monday's 27-13 loss to the New England Patriots, head coach Kliff Kingsbury confirmed Tuesday.

Murray was carted off with a non-contact injury during Arizona's Week 14 game. It was another difficult break in a season that has been filled with them for the Cardinals.

The 25-year-old is one of the league's best dual-threat playmakers at quarterback when healthy and has an Offensive Rookie of the Year and two Pro Bowl selections on his resume.

The Oklahoma product has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 2,368 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 418 yards and three scores on the ground in 11 games this season.

Colt McCoy entered the game against the Patriots after Murray exited and figures to be the Cardinals' quarterback while the starter is sidelined. He is best known for his collegiate career at Texas, but he is an experienced backup who can keep the offense afloat if needed.

The 36-year-old has played for the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Washington, New York Giants and Cardinals during a career that started in 2010.

Amid a disappointing season, Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury appears to be on the hot seat. After Monday night's loss to the New England Patriots, his seat may very well be on fire.

The Cardinals put forth a lackluster effort in front of their home crowd at State Farm Stadium on their way to a 27-13 loss on Monday Night Football. Arizona (4-9) lost star quarterback Kyler Murray to a potentially devastating knee injury early in the game, but the team's inability to bounce back from his absence falls on the shoulders of Kingsbury.

The fourth-year head coach was touted as a great offensive mind when he was hired in 2019 despite ending his six-year tenure as Texas Tech's head coach with three consecutive losing seasons. Without Murray, the Cardinals have shown an inability to move the ball despite their talented skill position players.

Fans on social media couldn't help but to question Kingsbury's future with the Cardinals, with some even calling for him not to return in 2023:

Fan apathy is going to be a serious issue if Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury return next season.

— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) December 13, 2022

Is Kliff dunzo? Asking for me

— lindsey ok (@lindseyyok) December 13, 2022

I’ve said this time and time and time and time again, The @AZCardinals need to move on from @KliffKingsbury

— Taylor Hicks (@TaylorHicks) December 13, 2022

How can the @AZCardinals and @KliffKingsbury have so much talent and yet be so bad? #redsea #azcardinals

— Todd Kunz TV (@ToddKunzTV) December 13, 2022

I'm so glad I do not root for a football team coached by Kliff Kingsbury. Cardinals should probably have gone into half up 9, instead only up 3.

— Tom Gower (@ThomasGower) December 13, 2022

If the Cardinals lose tonight and Kyler Murray is out for the year, I'm firing Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim before the next game.

Hard reset. It's the only way the Arizona Cardinals can pivot towards potential winning ways.

— Alex Clancy (@ClancysCorner) December 13, 2022

I don't see how the Cardinals can go into 2023 comfortably while retaining GM Steve Keim and HC Kliff Kingsbury

Blame injuries if you want but this is year four with the SK-KK duo. This is not an exciting football team to watch right now. With K1 hurt, 2023 already looks gloomy

— Andy Kwong 🏈 (@akwong31) December 13, 2022

A poorly-built roster, poorly coached. I've seen enough of this era of Cardinals football.

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 13, 2022

Do the Arizona Cardinals have, you know, practices and meetings and stuff? I have a seen crowded subway cars with better chemistry.

— Gerry Callahan (@GerryCallahan) December 13, 2022

Doesn't matter who is at QB.

Kliff Kingsbury continues to call go routes on 3rd and medium when a first down would keep the possession going.

2022 Kliff Kingsbury is 2019 Kliff Kingsbury.

He. Does. Not. Get. It.

— Alex Clancy (@ClancysCorner) December 13, 2022

NFL Twitter has never been more universally correct as it was when it hammered the Cardinals for giving Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim extensions during the offseason.

— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) December 13, 2022

Kliff is so bad man. Horrible game management at the end of the half. Great way to lose a game.

— Zach Lind (@zlind76) December 13, 2022

Masterclass in lack of game management skills by kliff

— Stuckey (@Stuckey2) December 13, 2022

Kliff won't be back in 2023 and GM Steve Keim should have been fired 3 years ago and won't be back if the Bidwells actually care about winning (which is justifiably questioned, since they seem to prize cronyism above all else). This is a disaster of a franchise. Putrid

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 13, 2022

Kliff’s days in Arizona have to be numbered…. https://t.co/zR56mwxXCK

— Paul Zeise (@PaulZeise) December 13, 2022

Coach Bro gotta go https://t.co/kCHrZ3ckeK

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) December 13, 2022

Firing Steve Wilks after one year for Kliff Kingsbury was indefensible at the time and continues to look worse and worse as time goes on. Shocking Kliff couldn't turn his 19-35 Big 12 record into NFL success. Utterly shocking

— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) December 13, 2022

How many more weeks until Kliff Kingsbury is the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator?

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) December 13, 2022

Imagine thinking at any point that Kliff Kingsbury was the answer

— Dan Graca (@DanGraca) December 13, 2022

Wonder what Kliff is thinking about?

Kliff: pic.twitter.com/gcaSKiepOE

— John Ewing (@johnewing) December 13, 2022

In March, the Cardinals signed Kingsbury to a six-year extension through the 2027 season. While it would be hard to part ways with the 43-year-old after making such a commitment, it's clear that change is needed if Arizona wants to be successful.

The Cardinals will try to regroup for Sunday's road matchup against the Denver Broncos (3-10).

The New England Patriots lost one of their top players on offense during Monday night's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The team announced that running back Rhamondre Stevenson will miss the remainder of the contest after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter.

Stevenson ran the ball three times for eight yards and caught two passes for two yards prior to being forced to exit the game. He briefly returned for one drive in the second quarter but couldn't play through the injury. Stevenson entered the game as New England's leading rusher with 734 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

A second-year player out of Oklahoma, Stevenson has become the workhorse of the Patriots backfield. His 161 carries entering Monday were nearly double that of backup running back Damien Harris, and his 56 receptions also led the team.

The 2021 fourth-round pick appeared in 12 games as a rookie and ran for 606 yards and five scores.

In addition to Stevenson exiting the game early, New England ruled out wide receiver DeVante Parker (head) and defensive back Jack Jones (knee) for the rest of Monday's game after they also went down in the first half.

The Patriots are left thin in the backfield without Stevenson, as Harris was inactive for the primetime matchup because of a thigh injury. With Stevenson out, New England's only available ball-carriers are rookies Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris, both of whom reached the end zone for their first career touchdowns against the Cardinals.

The New England Patriots have struggled on offense all season long, and it has resulted in the team sitting last in the AFC East with a 6-6 record.

The Patriots are traveling to face the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night, and they must find a way to win in order to stay alive in a tough AFC playoff race. However, the Cardinals don't seem too concerned with a lackluster New England offense coming to town.

Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph told reporters Thursday that he believes the New England offense has taken a conservative approach this year, which doesn't surprise him because Matt Patricia, a defensive specialist, is calling the plays.

To be clear, Joseph was saying it would be how most defensive coaches would call an offense.

"Let's not turn the ball over, get four yards a play, try to burn clock, that's what they are doing. ... They are going to be patient."

— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) December 8, 2022

The Patriots enter Monday's game averaging 318.9 yards per game, which is one of the worst marks in the NFL. They're averaging 214.0 yards passing and 104.9 yards rushing per game.

Arizona's defense, meanwhile, is allowing 356.2 yards per game, including 110.8 rushing (eighth-best).

If Patricia continues taking a conservative approach. New England may be out of the postseason for the second time in three seasons.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz revealed Thursday he had surgery to repair both his ACL and MCL, via Darren Urban of the team's official site.

Ertz suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Cardinals' Week 10 win over the Los Angeles Rams. ESPN's Adam Schefter initially reported the team believed the ACL was still intact, but he was later placed on injured reserve.

The veteran said he hopes to return in time for Week 1 of the 2023 season.

Ertz had been productive prior to the injury, totaling 47 catches for 406 yards in 10 games. His leads the Cardinals with four receiving touchdowns, and he is only two catches off the team lead shared by DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown.

The three-time Pro Bowler joined Arizona in a midseason trade from the Philadelphia Eagles last season and emerged as a go-to option down the stretch with 56 catches for 574 yards and three scores in 11 games.

It earned him a three-year contract extension worth $31.65 million, including $17.5 million in guaranteed money. Even with the injury, Ertz's roster spot is likely safe going into 2023, as the Cardinals would incur a $10 million dead cap hit by releasing him, per Spotrac.

The Cardinals have been unable to keep their top pass-catchers on the field at the same time this season. Hopkins was suspended for the first six games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, while Brown missed five games due to a foot injury. Rondale Moore has also been in and out of the lineup, missing the first three weeks because of a hamstring injury and Week 12 due to a groin injury.

Arizona has scuffled its way to a 4-8 record this season, but the team will hope to get back to full strength in 2023.

Rookie tight end Trey McBride has seen an increase in playing time since Ertz went down, although he has only nine receptions this season.

Kliff Kingsbury's time as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals may be coming to an end.

Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post reported executives around the league "are anticipating" that the NFC West team will move in a different direction before next season. He noted it is still up in the air if general manager Steve Keim will also be fired.

The Cardinals made the playoffs last season with an 11-6 record, meaning expectations were high entering the 2022 campaign.

However, things have gone anything but according to plan.

Arizona is 4-8 on the season and well behind the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers, who are 8-4. The Cardinals have also lost four of their last five and are largely just playing out the string at this point.

Things went off course before the year even started, as DeAndre Hopkins was suspended for six games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. There was also plenty of outside noise regarding an independent study clause in Kyler Murray's contract that the team eventually removed.

Murray has dealt with a hamstring injury at times this season and exchanged in some back-and-forths with Kingsbury and others. It reached a point that Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson even called Murray out for only caring about himself.

Kingsbury has been unable to navigate the various challenges Arizona has faced this season into a winning record and could be approaching the end of his tenure as a result.

It was somewhat surprising when the Cardinals hired him ahead of the 2019 season considering his only head-coaching experience had been a mediocre run at the collegiate level with Texas Tech.

He went 35-40 in six seasons from 2013 through 2018 with the Red Raiders even though he had Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback for three of those years.

Kingsbury's record isn't much better with the Cardinals at 28-32-1, and he will have one single playoff game in four years at the end of this season. There is apparently a belief that won't be good enough to keep his job.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson offered some clarity Thursday regarding his previous comments about Arizona Cardinals quarterback and former teammate Kyler Murray.

While Peterson turned heads by saying "Kyler Murray don't care about nobody but Kyler Murray" on his All Things Covered podcast, he explained "I don't have any beef with Kyler Murray," per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.

Seifert shared more of the cornerback's comments:

"What I meant by my comment was when you're a franchise quarterback you have to carry yourself a certain way. So if you're having bad body language, pouting, moping on the sideline, what type of energy do you think feeds off to your teammates?

"That's what I meant about Kyler. He cares about himself because he's not putting the team first. When you make a bad throw, and you come off to the sideline, you're dropping your shoulders, how do you think the defense feels? If our starting quarterback don't have any energy, no fire, that we can win this game, how can we? That's what I meant about Kyler caring about Kyler. I didn't mean any disrespect, in any fashion or form. And I might not be his mentor, but these are the things, tips, that can help him be a better football player in the long run."

He also said he texted Murray and wants to help him even though the quarterback has not returned the message.

That Peterson reached out is notable because the Cardinals quarterback responded to the initial comments by saying the veteran could do just that instead of criticizing him in an effort to help grow a podcast:

This isn’t true…you on some weird shit @p2 you got my number, if you really felt like this as a “big bro” or “mentor” you supposed to call me and tell me, not drag me so your podcast can grow… https://t.co/MFqbMKh3la

— Kyler Murray (@K1) December 1, 2022

https://twitter.com/P2/status/1598451688658333696

Murray has been under the spotlight all season, dating back to when the Cardinals included and then removed an "independent study" clause requiring additional study prior to every game.

There have also been a number of exchanges with head coach Kliff Kingsbury, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and others that have drawn attention:

I appreciate Patrick Peterson not walking back a single thing he said on his pod. We've all seen Kyler's pout, shout at his No. 1 WR, curse out his head coach in games. It's refreshing when a current player and former teammate is willing to call out that BS. https://t.co/UaCTQUoxx2

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) December 1, 2022

That the Cardinals are 4-8 hasn't helped quiet the noise.

While Peterson has been with the Vikings since the start of the 2021 campaign, he is a Cardinals legend and used to play alongside Murray in Arizona. The NFC West team selected the LSU product with the No. 5 pick of the 2011 draft, and he played his first 10 years there before joining the Vikings.

The potential future Hall of Famer was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and earned three All-Pro nods during his time with the Cardinals.

Hard Knocks in-season has turned into a documentary of a season on the brink of collapse.

The Arizona Cardinals were under the HBO spotlight again Wednesday for the fourth episode of the behind-the-scenes look at their 2023 campaign, and things are not going particularly well for the NFC West squad.

They have lost four of their last five contests and are an ugly 4-8 on the season. The playoffs are not going to happen barring a drastic turnaround, but the only turnaround that happened during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers that was featured on Hard Knocks was a blown lead in the final moments.

It seemed like things were looking up for the Cardinals because Kyler Murray returned after missing two games with a hamstring injury and accounted for three touchdowns. The final one was a pass that went to James Conner in the fourth quarter and put the Cardinals ahead.

Can't catch him, can't stop him ‍💨@DeandreHopkins | #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/58BAlCxhe4

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 1, 2022

Of course Colt McCoy called a big game on the ground. #HardKnocks

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) December 1, 2022

Nuk Hopkins is fun to watch #HardKnocks

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 1, 2022

The body language of the @AZCardinals players on Hard Knocks is very telling.

— Jeremy Taylor (@jtsports12) December 1, 2022

If I were a Cardinals fan I’d stay far away from Hard Knocks 😂😂😂

— 49ers_LFG_ (@pmtNinerfan84) December 1, 2022

However, Justin Herbert found Austin Ekeler for a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining and then hit Gerald Everett for a two-point conversion to give the Chargers a 25-24 victory.

Much of Wednesday's episode was about the preparation for the contest against Los Angeles, which included Murray recovering from his hamstring injury and wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown returning from a foot injury for the first time since an Oct. 16 game against the Seattle Seahawks.

But it wouldn't be Hard Knocks without a bit more, and the friendship between Murray and Brown, who were college teammates at Oklahoma, was profiled. So was linebacker Isaiah Simmons' battle back from being benched and cornerback Antonio Hamilton taking responsibility in the film room for avoiding contact during a play from the previous game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Chemistry since college 🧪 @OU_Football@K1 | @Primetime_jet pic.twitter.com/wb3KHbTNdi

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 1, 2022

For @DeAndreHopkins, it's all about giving back. ❤️#HardKnocks In Season: @AZCardinals | Wednesdays 10pm ET on @HBOMax pic.twitter.com/ImqiQJd5Ar

— NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2022

Atta way, Hop and the all the other Cards that helped out at UMOM on Thanksgiving. #HardKnocks

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) December 1, 2022

Cardinals' DeAndre Hopkins visits shelter on ‘Hard Knocks’ to serve domestic violence survivorshttps://t.co/HOOPVQjXHF pic.twitter.com/OUbZZ3zwnG

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) December 1, 2022

To be like J.J. kids, eat your Wheaties 🥄 @JJWatt | #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/0PaGfeyHFk

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 1, 2022

What cereal were you grubbing on pregame, @JJWatt? 🥣

Frosted Flakes is my guess. #HardKnocks

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) December 1, 2022

The episode's most poignant moments came when players and head coach Kliff Kingsbury served meals for Thanksgiving to the community, and DeAndre Hopkins in particular was a fan favorite.

Ultimately, though, the focus was on football, and Arizona can at least take solace knowing it is heading into a bye as it looks to turn things around down the stretch starting with a Week 14 Monday Night Football game against the New England Patriots.

Patrick Peterson is not a fan of Kyler Murray.

The Minnesota Vikings cornerback and former Arizona Cardinal ripped Murray on his All Things Covered podcast Wednesday:

"Kyler Murray don't care about nobody but Kyler Murray"

Patrick Peterson comments on what's going on with his former team the Cardinals, since they are always in the news.

Full discussion 👇https://t.co/imFgoT1fgs pic.twitter.com/1XYkBTJKzT

— All Things Covered (@ATCoveredPod) November 30, 2022

Murray responded to those comments later on Wednesday:

This isn’t true…you on some weird shit @p2 you got my number, if you really felt like this as a “big bro” or “mentor” you supposed to call me and tell me, not drag me so your podcast can grow… https://t.co/MFqbMKh3la

— Kyler Murray (@K1) December 1, 2022

Both Peterson and his co-host, former NFL defensive back Bryant McFadden, agreed that they feel head coach Kliff Kingsbury will be the scapegoat for Arizona's struggles amid a 4-8 start to the season.

That part of the discussion was, in part, a response to Murray's recent comments after a 4th-and-1 interception in the second quarter. He said that "schematically" the team was "kinda f--ked" on the play.

That quote was interpreted by some to be a dig at Kingsbury, though a closer examination of the play suggests that the Los Angeles Chargers actually defended the play pretty perfectly, which may have been what Murray meant with his comments.

Kingsbury also further elaborated on the play:

Kliff Kingsbury explained on Monday the fourth-and-1 play that caused quarterback Kyler Murray to drop a F-bomb on Sunday when describing, schematically, what went wrong in the play: pic.twitter.com/kiScDVBytg

— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) November 28, 2022

Murray also downplayed any potential issues between himself and the head coach.

"I think the whole thing from this whole season has just been kinda not the way anyone's wanted it or envisioned it go, but between me and him, no, we're good," he told reporters when asked if there was tension between himself and Kingsbury.

That jibed with a recent report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

The #AZCardinals QB-coach relationship has been tense. But my understanding is Kyler Murray & coach Kliff Kingsbury spent the last two weeks talking through everything, planning how things will look & focusing on communication. "A blessing in disguise" is how a source called it. https://t.co/gzNaEo9PEG

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 27, 2022

Nonetheless, questions about Murray's leadership—or lack thereof—have surfaced in the past:

Where’s it headed?
Despite the acrimony, the Cardinals expect things to calm down and Murray is their QB.
Select veterans hope to reach Murray on how he handle adversity better.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury also is self-scouting where he can provide better alternatives for QB.

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) February 13, 2022

https://twitter.com/JimTrotter_NFL/status/1493653826796199950

Peterson's comments that Murray only cares about himself would suggest he didn't think much of Murray as a leader while the two were teammates in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

It's also possible that Murray has matured in the last two years, though it's hard to ignore the pattern of people close to the NFL game questioning his leadership.