Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury discussed the arrest of wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and told reporters, "Obviously he knows he's got to be better than that and he will be moving forward."

On Wednesday KTAR News 92.3 FM and Arizona Sports reported Brown was arrested on criminal speeding charges. According to Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro, the wide receiver was driving at 126 mph.

ESPN noted criminal speeding in Arizona is a misdemeanor and defined as driving 20 or more mph over the speed limit.

Brown was driving in a zone with a 65 mph speed limit.

Mark McClune of 3TV CBS 5 reported he was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled for a hearing on Aug. 23.

That hearing falls in between Arizona's second and third preseason games. It faces the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug. 12, the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 21 and the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 27. The Cardinals will have joint practices with the Titans in Tennessee leading up to that game, so it remains to be seen whether Brown will participate.

The Oklahoma product played the first three seasons of his career on the Ravens and came to Arizona as part of a draft-day trade.

While he has dealt with a hamstring injury in the early portion of training camp, he figures to be a key part in the Cardinals' offense this season. After all, he is coming off a career year that saw him tally 91 catches for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns in 2021.

Having Brown available in the early portion of the season will be even more important for the Cardinals because No. 1 wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be suspended for the first six games for violating the league's policy on performance enhancers.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown was arrested on Wednesday on criminal speeding charges.

Per KTAR News 92.3 FM and ArizonaSports.com, the Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said Brown's arrest took place at 7:05 a.m. local time when he was heading southbound on Loop 101 driving in an HOV lane.

Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported that Brown was clocked going 126 mph.

"We are aware of the situation regarding Hollywood Brown and have reported it to the NFL office as required," the Cardinals said in a statement. "We will comment further as appropriate."

Brown opened training camp on the non-football injury list as he recovered from a hamstring issue.

The Cardinals announced on Tuesday they activated Brown, but he walked off the field with a trainer as the team took the field for stretching before the start of practice.

"We're just easing him back in," head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters.

Kingsbury also noted he wanted Brown to be able to take part in individual drills by the end of the week and be a full participant in practice starting next week.

Arizona acquired Brown from the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. The Cardinals sent the No. 23 overall pick to Baltimore.

The deal reunited Brown and Kyler Murray, who played together at the University of Oklahoma for two seasons from 2017 to '18. Brown led the Sooners with 75 receptions and 1,318 receiving yards and was named to the All-American first team in 2018.

The Cardinals are counting on Brown to be their No. 1 receiver at the start of the season. DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first six games due to violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Brown had a career-high 1,008 receiving yards and 91 receptions for the Ravens in 2021.

The Cardinals and left tackle D.J. Humphries have agreed to a three-year, $66.8 million extension to keep him in Arizona through the 2025 season, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Humphries' contract reportedly includes $34 million guaranteed.

Humphries was set to become a free agent in 2023 after signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Cardinals in 2020. He is now among the NFL's highest-paid left tackles, earning $22.3 million per year.

The Green Bay Packers' David Bakhtiari and San Francisco 49ers' Trent Williams are the only left tackles who earn more per year, per Over the Cap.

The Cardinals selected Humphries in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft out of Florida, though he was the only first-round pick that year not to suit up in a game that season. He made his debut during the 2016 campaign and has been a staple on Arizona's offensive line ever since, starting all 75 games he has played.

Humphries, who was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2021, told reporters in June that he expected to reach an agreement with the Cardinals on an extension because "left tackles don't grow on trees."

"My plan was to play here my whole career," Humphries said. "If something happens outside of the plan, you live with how it comes. But the plan is the plan. We're going to set out to do it a certain way."

Locking up Humphries gives the Cardinals a little more stability on the offensive line beyond the 2022 season. Rodney Hudson and Josh Jones are the only other offensive linemen signed beyond the upcoming campaign.

Kelvin Beachum, Will Hernandez, Justin Pugh, Joshua Miles, Justin Murray and Sean Harlow will become free agents after the 2022 season if they don't come to terms on an extension with Arizona.

After signing quarterback Kyler Murray to a five-year, $230.5 million contract this summer, a priority for the Cardinals moving forward should be providing him with protection on the offensive line for years to come.

The Arizona Cardinals recently inked Kyler Murray to a contract extension, but they will be without their quarterback for at least five days in the early portion of training camp.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters Monday that Murray tested positive for COVID-19. That means he will be sidelined for a minimum of five days.

Cardinals’ head coach Kliff Kingsbury gives us the latest on Kyler Murray testing positive for covid. pic.twitter.com/7OF64Ccu6Z

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 1, 2022

Arizona's first preseason game is scheduled for Aug. 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

It has been quite the offseason to this point for Murray.

The contract made headlines for more than just the $230.5 million, as it initially required four hours of "independent study" of film each game week. However, that clause was removed following backlash.

"After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract," the Cardinals said in a statement. "It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it's ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract."

For his part, Murray told reporters it was "disrespectful" that some thought he wasn't a "student of the game" because of the clause.

The Oklahoma product was already going to be under the spotlight this season even before signing the contract extension after he struggled during the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

It was the two-time Pro Bowler's first postseason game, and he will be expected to take another step in what will be his fourth season as Arizona's starter.

For now, though, the 24-year-old will be sidelined as he recovers from symptoms that were deemed "minor."

Longtime NFL writer Peter King was astonished that the Arizona Cardinals originally put a clause in Kyler Murray's new contract extension mandating four hours per week of independent game-plan study.

King wrote for Pro Football Talk:

It's the dumbest clause I've ever seen in an NFL contract. Intentionally or not intentionally (and did someone inside the team actually want to embarrass Murray?), that clause calling for Murray to spend at least four hours studying the game plan in each game week was going to get out. It was too sensational to not get out. And so the result of that would be embarrassing for Murray and point out that the team was worried about whether the young quarterback was devoting enough time to his job.

After the clause was leaked last Monday and became a national story, the Cardinals removed it from Murray's contract:

#AZCardinals statement… https://t.co/XesLqSULsC pic.twitter.com/SXPwMbDyRT

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 29, 2022

Not before Murray publicly addressed the situation, however.

"To think that I can accomplish everything that I have accomplished in my career and not be a student of the game and not have that passion and not take this serious is disrespectful, and it's almost a joke," he told reporters Thursday. "To me, I'm flattered. I want to say flattered that you all think that at my size, I can go out there and not prepare for the game, and not take it serious."

Albert Breer of The MMQB provided more context on the decision to add the clause, reporting that there has been "lingering questions about Murray’s leadership going back to when he was drafted, and his in-and-out participation in the offseason program the last two years."

Breer added that he doesn't believe "this is so much about Murray putting the time in as it is about how he allots his time," adding that the star quarterback has been "dogged for having a so-called baseball-player mentality (as a sort of independent contractor) more so than a quarterback mentality."

Either way, a story about the team and its franchise quarterback agreeing to a massive contract extension instead became the story of that unique—and odd—clause. It can't be the sort of headlines the Cardinals were hoping to make this summer.

The Arizona Cardinals will be without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the 2022 season because he is suspended for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy, but the wide receiver wishes there was more room for nuance in the rules.

He said he has never willingly broken any rules even after 0.134% Ostarine was found in his blood, surpassing the threshold of 0.100%.

"I've never taken any of that kind of stuff," Hopkins told reporters. "If you know about what it is, it can be in shampoo, it can be in a lot of different things. Obviously the NFL is very black and white, so of course, I wish the rule wasn't so black and white. It is what it is.

"It's hard to know when something gets contaminated at a trace amount when you're not working at the manufacturing company."

Hopkins dropped his appeal and will serve the suspension.

"It's hard to know what you can eat, what you can do when you're not in control of manufacturing anything or what goes through a conveyor belt, you know what I'm saying?" he continued. "So, obviously, I do think that rules should change. But like I said, that stuff, it'll work itself out, and I've never taken anything. I barely take vitamins."

The suspension means the Cardinals will be without their top pass-catcher for matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks.

The bad news is there are presumed Super Bowl contenders in the Rams and Chiefs and likely playoff contenders in the Raiders and Eagles. Playing well in that stretch without Hopkins will be difficult, although the good news is only two of the team's six division games come during his suspension.

Hopkins will have an opportunity to help Arizona make up ground in the NFC West when he returns.

While a knee injury limited the five-time Pro Bowler to just 10 games last year, his last healthy season in 2020 saw him tally 115 catches for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. It marked his fourth straight campaign with more than 1,100 receiving yards.

Arizona's offense will surely take a step back while he is sidelined, especially since it also lost Christian Kirk to free agency, unless Rondale Moore, Marquise Brown and A.J. Green drastically elevate their own production.

Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon ripped the Arizona Cardinals for putting a so-called "homework" clause in Kyler Murray's contract, calling it a "slap in the face to all African-American quarterbacks."

"It's something we were always accused of back in the day when they didn't let us play," Moon told TMZ Sports. "That we were lazy, that we didn't study, that we couldn't be leaders, that we weren't smart. So all those different things just kind of came to the surface after we had put all that stuff to bed over the years and just because of this deal that's going on between Arizona and Kyler."

"So yeah, very embarrassing."

The Cardinals placed a clause in Murray's new five-year, $230.5 million contract requiring he put in at least four hours per week of independent film study outside team facilities. The requirement raised eyebrows around the league and with fans, leading to criticism of Murray's work ethic and widespread mockery on social media.

The Cardinals removed the clause amid the controversy.

"After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract," the Cardinals said in a statement. "It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it's ever been, and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract."

While the clause may no longer exist, the public damage to Murray's reputation is done. He addressed the media Thursday—a day after the team altered his contract—to express his own frustration with what he called a "disrespectful" narrative.

"I refuse to let my work ethic, my preparing, to be in question," Murray told reporters. "I've put in an incomprehensible amount of time and blood, sweat, tears and work into what I do, whether it's football or baseball. People can't comprehend the amount of time that it takes to do two sports at a high level in college, let alone be the first person to do it ever at my size. It's funny.

"But to those of you out there that believe that I'd be standing here today, in front of y'all, without having a work ethic and without preparing, I'm honored that you think that. But it doesn't exist. It's not possible. It's not possible."

There are a number of layers to this issue, starting with the fact that the Cardinals scored a massive own goal here. Even if they have concerns about Murray's film habits—no matter how valid they may be—there is almost no way for the team to prove he studied film on his own time, barring setting up a camera in his house and monitoring his activities. We're likely not talking about another JaMarcus Russell sting operation here.

Moon's point about the narrative surrounding Black quarterbacks—even as Black quarterbacks have soared to the top of the sport over the last decade—remains valid. Mike Sando of The Athletic recently ran a piece that included people in the NFL making veiled comments about Patrick Mahomes playing "streetball" and another defensive coordinator saying Lamar Jackson could never be viewed as a Tier 1 quarterback.

"He's so unique as an athlete and he's really a good football player, but I don't (care) if he wins the league MVP 12 times, I don't think he'll ever be a 1 as a quarterback. He'll be a 1 as a football player, but not as a quarterback," the defensive coordinator said.

Mahomes addressed the comments in a meeting with reporters last week, noting Black quarterbacks receive criticism not lobbed at their white counterparts.

"It always is weird when you see guys like me, Lamar, Kyler get that on them and other guys don't," Mahomes said. "But at the same time, we are gonna go out there and prove ourselves every day to prove that we can be some of the best quarterbacks in the league."

There reportedly is no longer an "independent study" clause in Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray's contract.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the NFC West team removed the clause from the $230.5 million deal.

The Cardinals released a statement on the decision, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Statement from the Arizona Cardinals’ on Kyler Murray’s updated contract: pic.twitter.com/LQrzBHzDyc

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2022

This comes after Rapoport previously reported the Cardinals included an addendum in the contract that required four hours of "independent study" each game week:

Kyler Murray does 4 hours of game studying on his own, anyway. And similar to the team wanting him around for the offseason as the face of the franchise, AZ wanted a commitment in writing while going to a certain place money-wise. Thus, the clause 👇👇👇 https://t.co/2WjSXBCqtv

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2022

The clause drew plenty of attention, especially since one might see it as the team not trusting Murray to prepare for a game on his own. Yet Rapoport noted that including it in writing was simply about making something that already happened official.

Yet Murray responded to the backlash during a Thursday press conference, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.

He called it "disrespectful" that people think he could be a Pro Bowl quarterback in the NFL if he wasn't a "student of the game." The 5'10" playmaker also said, "I'm flattered that y'all think that at my size I can go out there and not prepare for the game and not take it serious."

It's hard to argue with Murray's assertions considering he already has an Offensive Rookie of the Year and two Pro Bowl selections on his resume in just three seasons. He was excellent again in 2021 while completing 69.2 percent of his passes for 3,787 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions to go with 423 yards and five scores on the ground.

However, he was also under the spotlight this offseason after struggling in the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams and with his contract status hanging in the balance.

The two sides were able to come to terms on a head-turning deal, though, and Weinfuss noted the average annual value of $46.1 million is second in the league and behind only Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers' $50.3 million.

It seems as if Arizona trusts him enough to study film while making that money because that clause is no longer in writing.

Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray dismissed concerns about his work ethic, a topic of discussion when a notable clause in his five-year, $230.5 million contract was revealed.

"There's multiple different ways to watch film. Of course we all watch film," he told reporters Thursday. "That doesn’t need to be questioned. I refuse to let my work ethic and my preparation be in question. I've put in an incomprehensible amount of time in what I do."

Kyler Murray makes a surprise media appearance to push back on the narrative that he doesn’t study. pic.twitter.com/KGoDQE05YJ

— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) July 28, 2022

Kyler Murray lists his accolades and accomplishments since high school. "Those things you can't accomplish if you don't prepare the right way and take the game serious."

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) July 28, 2022

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Murray's deal requires him to complete four hours of "independent study" in weeks when the Cardinals have a game scheduled.

Contracts are about give-and-take. One example from #AZCardinals QB Kyler Murray’s $230.5M contract: There is an addendum that requires 4 hours of “independent study” per game week. It was important to the team making a commitment at that level, thus it was important to Murray. pic.twitter.com/VqrkvoBQLJ

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2022

Rapoport added that "Murray does four hours of game studying on his own, anyway."

Still, two questions immediately arose when the clause was made public: If he did it already, why did the Cardinals want to put the "independent study" requirement in writing, and who stood to gain from this getting out?

Murray is understandably upset with how the clause is being perceived, but the reaction outside Arizona was inevitable. It gives the impression he either wasn't putting in the work before or was doing the requisite study yet needs a concrete incentive in order to continue doing so.

The Kyler Murray homework clause is a colossal blunder by the Cardinals. It makes him look bad for not studying enough, and it makes them look worse for giving him all that money even though he wasn't studying enough.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 25, 2022

Still bothered by Kyler Murray’s situation. He has already had to deal with short jokes his entire life. Some say he looks like a toddler out there running around and now the Cardinals give him a homework clause in his contract. WHAT IN THE READING RAINBOW IS GOING ON IN ARIZONA?

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 28, 2022

Sarah Kezele of 98.7 Arizona Sports pointed to an interview Murray gave to the New York Times' Ben Shpigel last December that doesn't exactly help his case.

"I think I was blessed with the cognitive skills to just go out there and just see it before it happens," he said. "I'm not one of those guys that's going to sit there and kill myself watching film. I don't sit there for 24 hours and break down this team and that team and watch every game because, in my head, I see so much."

Murray is unquestionably talented, and his ability to improvise sets him apart from many of his peers. You think you have him pinned behind the line of scrimmage and he pulls a rabbit out of the hat.

HOP CAUGHT IT!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/lyAG9gWYPn

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 16, 2020

But it might not be a coincidence his passing yards per game have steadily declined across each month throughout his career. He has averaged 286.2 yards across 10 September games to 238.2 yards in December and 196.7 yards in January.

As opposing teams inevitably adjust to Murray, he and the Cardinals aren't making the same kind of tweaks.

That could be more a reflection of head coach Kliff Kingsbury, whose teams teams in college and the NFL have consistently faded down the stretch.

The Cardinals had to know what would happen, though, when they included a "please, do your homework" condition in the nine-figure deal they signed with their franchise quarterback.

The Arizona Cardinals were hoping their new training camp hotel would be a convenient addition this offseason, but the weather in the area didn't cooperate.

ESPN's Josh Weinfuss and Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that torrential downpours caused damage to approximately 15 rooms that were assigned to staff members. No player rooms were affected.

The Cardinals had previously spent the last nine training camps at the Renaissance Hotel in Glendale, which is located across the street from State Farm Stadium, the team's training camp site since 2013. But the team moved to a resort at the Wigwam this year, and it's about an eight-mile drive from the stadium.

Per Weinfuss and Schefter, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill made the decision to switch hotels partly because of "a disagreement between the hotel and the league in pricing for the rooms during the week of Super Bowl LVII, which will be at State Farm Stadium."

At the Wigwam, the ballrooms were expected to be where the Cardinals would hold their meetings. However, "about a third" of the parking lot outside was completely under water Tuesday.

The Cardinals will participate in their first practice Wednesday. Arizona was dealt an early blow as wide receiver Marquise Brown, who was acquired during the NFL draft in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens, will begin training camp on the active/non-football injury list because of a hamstring injury.