WHAT DO THE CARDS HAVE IN STORE FOR KYLER?

By MARK HALPERN

    Kyler Murray was the top College Quarterback over his 2 years at Oklahoma, amassing a stat line that makes NFL teams drool and possibly trade a good portion of their picks to have a shot at the kid. Murray passed for over 5,400 yards with a 67.4 completion percentage to go along with 50 touchdown and only 14 interceptions. Yes, this was at the college level but he did lead one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Murray went on to win the Heisman trophy and was ultimately selected by the Arizona Cardinals first overall. It is also worth noting that Kyler Murray was also a drafted to play Baseball, but chose to play in the NFL.

    The Cardinals built around Murray, they got him a coach he was familiar with and they got him weapons notably DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins, at the time was the best receiver in Football Muray became reliant on Hopkins as a go to receiver, especially when he was flushed out of the pocket. Murray is a mobile Quarterback, and sometimes is too reliant on his mobility, and we know that’s a high risk of injury. The Cardinals decided to give Murray a big contract (imo he didn’t deserve) and was in the plans for the Cardinals direct future.

   Well after the departure of Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and Hollywood Brown things weren’t the same. There have been reports of Kyler being immature which led to him being fined and seemed to be disconnected from his team. It was soon discovered he had become a major Call of Duty junkie. There were claims Murray spent more time playing the video game then preparing for NFL games as At one point it seemed clear that Murray would possibly be dealt in a trade (even though he had signed extension) because it was obvious he didn’t want to be there.

     However, Murray this season has been hampered by injuries. After the Cardinals blew out the Cowboys led by backup Jacoby Brissette, Murray was put on the IR for four more weeks leading to speculation his time is done in Arizona. With a contract like Murray’s it is easier to deal in the offseason, than during the season. 

     If Murray is traded there are quite a few landing spots. The first two that come to mind are the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets. There are other teams where Kyler fits in such as the Saints and Dolphins, who both could be looking to change the position.  Kyler has a lot of talent, there are flaws to his game, but the talent is there. If he can mature it could help someone in the long run.