Arizona Cardinals

To hear tight end Zach Ertz tell it, Arizona Cardinals fans don't have to worry about Kyler Murray's study habits.

Ertz said the quarterback knows the playbook better than anyone else on Arizona's roster and even helped him pick up some of the nuances after he joined the Cardinals during a midseason trade in 2021, per Tyler Drake of 98.7 Arizona Sports.

The topic came up because NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Murray's $230.5 million contract extension with the NFC West team includes an addendum that requires four hours of "independent study" each game week:

Rapoport explained this was more about making something that already happens official in writing, although Murray did suggest film study wasn't on the top of his priority list during a 2021 interview.

"I think I was blessed with the cognitive skills to just go out there and just see it before it happens," Murray said, per Ben Shpigel of the New York Times. "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."

The approach has largely worked for the Oklahoma product considering he has an Offensive Rookie of the Year and two Pro Bowl selections on his resume through three seasons.

Murray completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 3,787 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 423 yards and five scores on the ground as a dual-threat playmaker. It was enough to lead the Cardinals to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 campaign, although he struggled in the 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams that ended his season.

He accounted for zero touchdowns and two interceptions in that game as Arizona's offense failed to establish anything resembling a rhythm.

The quarterback's future with the team became a talking point this offseason, especially when he unfollowed the team and deleted content on Instagram. Yet they came to terms on a new deal that Josh Weinfuss of ESPN noted will pay Murray an annual average salary of $46.1 million, second only to Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers' $50.3 million.

The 24-year-old will be under more scrutiny with this deal, especially as he attempts to find playoff success. Having Ertz, who is a three-time Pro Bowler, as a safety valve for the entire season after he came in during the 2021 campaign will help.

So will mastering the playbook, which he apparently has already done.

As part of Kyler Murray's $230.5 million contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals, the star quarterback will have to keep up his study habits.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Murray's extension includes an addendum requiring four hours of "independent study" of film each game week:

Though Rapoport noted Murray already studies film on his own, the new requirement might be a little bit of an adjustment. In a 2021 interview with Ben Shpigel of the New York Times, the 24-year-old said watching film isn't much of a priority for him.

"I think I was blessed with the cognitive skills to just go out there and just see it before it happens," Murray 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."

Per ESPN's Josh Weinfuss, Murray's new deal carries an average annual value of $46.1 million, which is the second-highest in the league behind Green Bay Packers star and two-time reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers' $50.3 million. Arizona surely hopes Murray will live up to his massive contract.

A Pro Bowl selection in each of the past two seasons, Murray threw for 3,787 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2021 while adding 423 rushing yards and five scores. He missed three games because of an ankle injury, and he underperformed in Arizona's blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Round.

It remains to be seen if the film study requirement will help Murray lead the Cardinals on a deeper playoff run this season.

Fresh off agreeing to a new contract with the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray is ready to reward the franchise for their commitment to him.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Murray said the next step for him is "about fulfilling my promise" to the Cardinals by one day bringing "a championship to this organization.”

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported yesterday that Murray has agreed to a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension with $160 million guaranteed that will keep him in Arizona through the 2028 season.

There were some questions early in the offseason about Murray's future with the Cardinals. He briefly scrubbed references to the team from his social media in February, leading to speculation he might be unhappy.

"If you're a kid my age, you're used to, like, people take off all of their...that's just a thing," Murray told reporters in March about the situation. "Honestly, like I said, I took everything off of it, besides one picture, so it had nothing to do with the Cardinals or anything like that."

Around the same time Murray was deleting images from social media, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported people within the Cardinals organization described the 24-year-old as "self-centered, immature and someone who points fingers."

Mortensen also noted that Murray was "embarrassed" by the Cardinals' 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Game and felt he was "made the scapegoat" for their performance.

Murray's extension makes him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. His $46.1 million average annual salary trails only Aaron Rodgers' deal with the Green Bay Packers ($50.3 million). His $160 million guaranteed ranks second, behind Deshaun Watson's fully guaranteed $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns.

In terms of total value, Murray's $230.5 million is third among quarterbacks behind Patrick Mahomes' $450 million and Josh Allen's $258 million.

The pressure is certainly on Murray now that he has given the Cardinals a long-term commitment. but he's already met the challenge of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

Through his first three seasons, Murray has thrown for 11,480 yards, run for 1,786 yards and accounted for 90 touchdowns (70 passing, 20 rushing). The Oklahoma alum has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons and led the Cardinals to their first playoff appearance since 2015 last year.

The ongoing heat wave in Arizona has left many dehydrated and in danger of heat-related illness, but Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins stepped in to help those in need.

Hopkins posted Friday on social media that he spent a day this week "giving cold water to the people struggling to find housing" in downtown Phoenix. He also included a link to donate to the Arizona Housing Coalition.

Hopkins has spent the last two seasons of his career in Arizona and his entering his third campaign with the franchise in 2022. The 30-year-old has caught 157 passes for 1,979 yards and 14 touchdowns in 26 games over the last two seasons.

However, the five-time Pro Bowler is currently set to miss the first six games of the upcoming season after being suspended for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Hopkins denied taking any supplements and is hoping to get the suspension reduced.

On Thursday, the Arizona Cardinals and star quarterback Kyler Murray agreed to terms on a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension.

Suffice to say, Murray's head coach Kliff Kingsbury was happy to see the deal get done.

"He's going to continue to get better," he said on The Dave Pasch Podcast (h/t Ryan Sanudo of SI.com). "The contract deal—I feel really good about. I know he's our future here. The talent is generational in what he can do running with the football."

While there have been questions about Murray's leadership in the past—the sort of thing a team might be concerned about before handing over a $200 million-plus contract—Kingsbury sees things differently.

"I think everyone's going to have their opinion," he told Pasch. "The kid shows up every day. He came to the worst team (in) football and the worst offense by far, and all he's done is improve every year. He's improved the organization and because he doesn't smile or wave to the camera and all of a sudden he's this villain. He's never gotten in trouble off the field. You've never heard one bad thing from him off the field. At times, there are certain aspects to him that draw criticism. But we're thrilled the progress he's made and where this thing's heading."

The 24-year-old Murray is already a two-time Pro Bowler in his three seasons and has led the Cardinals to an improved record in all three of his NFL campaigns. Last season he threw for 3,787 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 14 games, completing 69.2 percent of his passes while leading the team to a 9-5 record in his starts.

Where Murray separates himself from other players at the position, however, is his dynamic rushing ability when the play breaks down. Across three seasons, he's rushed for 1,786 yards and 20 scores.

The Cardinals reached the playoffs last year, though that lasted just one game, and the Cardinals closed their 2021 campaign with seven losses in their final 11 matchups. It was a tough finish, but still another year of improvement for Murray and the team.

But the pressure has changed for Murray after reaching the postseason and signing a deal ($46.1 million AAV) that trails only Aaron Rodgers ($50.2 million) in average annual value.

"You see the market for these quarterbacks and what guys are getting paid," Kingsbury told Pasch. "There's very few (quarterbacks) when you line up every Sunday and say we have a chance. Our guy is one of those that give you a chance. And at his best, I don't know who's better in this league."

Former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown got his wish when he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals, but he wants to make it clear that quarterback Lamar Jackson had nothing to do with his decision.

Brown took to Twitter and called the notion that Jackson was the reason he wanted out of Baltimore as "ridiculous."

Jackson showed his appreciation for Brown coming to his defense with a simple response:

The Ravens deploy a run-first offense centered around Jackson's dual-threat skills. While Jackson is a talented passer, he averaged just 240.2 passing yards per game, which ranked 13th in the league, last season before being earning his second Pro Bowl nod.

The fifth-year quarterback has faced some criticism for his reliance on his running ability. Former Ravens safety Bernard Pollard Jr., who last played for Baltimore in 2012, tweeted on Wednesday: "No TOP Wr will ever come there while LJ is there. Plenty of WRs have been available to get in the off-season while LJ has been starting, but nobody wants to go. They give him the respect, but they don’t want to play with him. LJ is good but he’s not able to make the throws."

Despite the Ravens offense that led the league in rushing yards, Brown managed to set career highs last season with 91 receptions and 1,008 receiving yards to go with six touchdowns. He will have a major opportunity to boost his production with the Cardinals after being traded on the first day of the draft.

Brown and Arizona star quarterback Kyler Murray were college teammates at Oklahoma, and the two of them spent time together this offseason. Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury recently said Brown has quickly acclimated himself to the team's offense.

"I'd say, comparatively speaking, if you're talking about a guy who didn't know the quarterback or didn't play in a similar system and didn't get to work out with him and hear the calls, see the signals, I would say he's way ahead of the curve when it comes to that," Kingsbury said.

Arizona receiver DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first six games of the season because of a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. Brown will be thrust into the No. 1 receiver role right away, giving him the chance to shine in an offense better tailored to his skills.

The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray are reportedly on better terms now than they were earlier in the offseason as the 2022 NFL regular season approaches.

According to Lindsay Jones of The Athletic, "the ice between Murray and the Cardinals has thawed substantially since earlier this offseason" in the wake of Murray attending some voluntary workouts and mandatory minicamp.

There was some thought that Murray would hold out for a new contract and not report to the team until he got one, especially after ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported in May that Murray "won't be too eager" to play under his current deal.

Murray has two years remaining on his contract, and Jones noted that he is set to earn only around $5.5 million this season when factoring in bonuses, making him one of the lowest-paid starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

While Murray's compensation would rise to $29.7 million in 2023 after the Cards exercised the fifth-year option in his rookie contract, Jones theorized that the two sides could have issues again if something isn't worked out before the start of the 2022 season.

Murray was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, and he has shown flashes of brilliance during his three-year career.

Last season, the Oklahoma product went 9-5 as a starter and led the Cardinals to the playoffs, but he missed three games because of injuries. During the regular season, he completed a career-high 69.2 percent of his passes for 3,787 yards, 24 touchdowns and a career-low 10 interceptions while rushing for 423 yards and five scores.

Injuries likely played a role in the 5'10" dynamo running less last season after he rushed for 819 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020.

Murray, who was named a Pro Bowler in each of the past two seasons, ended the 2021 season on a low note with a poor performance in the Cardinals' NFC Wild Card Round playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

In a 34-11 loss, Murray looked listless, as he completed just 19 of 34 passes for 137 yards with no touchdowns and two picks.

Based on that showing, Murray undoubtedly has plenty of progressing left to do in order to enter the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks, but he is the Cardinals' best option now and in the immediate future.

He has also played his way into a more lucrative contract, especially when considering that quarterbacks who are arguably worse than him, such as Carson Wentz of the Washington Commanders, Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings and Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders, all have average annual salaries of $32 million or more.

Given his skill set and the fact that he is still just 24 years of age, Murray could be looking at a new deal that would pay him in the neighborhood of $40 million per year if and when he and the Cardinals reach an agreement.