Kyler Murray is staying put in the desert, and for a long time to come. Following a very public chagrin over his current contract, in the wake of quarterback megadeals raining from the NFL sky in 2022, the former first-round pick felt he deserved to be extended now and not later. He just received his wish, agreeing to terms on a five-year extension, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, that will lock him in with the Cardinals through the 2028 season.
The extension itself has now been confirmed by the Cardinals.
The contract awarded to Murray is expectedly a massive one, per ESPN, paying him a total of $230.5 million with $160 million guaranteed -- making him the second-highest paid quarterback, annually, behind only Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers while besting Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns in max value by $500,000 (but Watson's deal is fully guaranteed).
As for cash flow, Murray will receive $30 million in Year 1, $68 million over the first two years and $106.15 million over the first three years of his new deal, per NFL Media. The two-time Pro Bowler was initially set to earn just $965,000 in salary for the 2022 season, a number that would've increased exponentially to $29.7 million on his fifth-year option in 2023, but would have still paled wildly in comparison to what other top quarterbacks around the league are now set to earn -- e.g., Deshaun Watson, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Derek Carr.
Murray, 24, joined the Cardinals in 2019 as the first-overall pick, ushering in a new era in Arizona only one season after the team used a first-round pick on Josh Rosen, the latter now trying out for the Cleveland Browns and hoping to land on his sixth NFL team. With the reuniting of Murray with head coach Kliff Kingsbury at the NFL level, the two have led the Cardinals to being contenders in the NFC West, but there have been shortcomings in the postseason that brought question marks on the future of both.
But with Kingsbury and Murray now both locked in for the foreseeable future, the Cardinals have the HC/QB combo that will carry them toward the next decade. With his new deal, Murray is now in lockstep with Kingsbury's recent six-year extension that keeps him installed as head coach through the 2027 season.
It's the best possible outcome for both Murray and the Cardinals following an offseason that began with tumult, so there's likely a collective sigh of relief on all sides ahead of training camp. Following the Cardinals' dismissal from the playoffs on NFL Super Wild Card Weekend, Murray went on to scrub everything related to Arizona from all of his social media accounts, leading to a very obvious rift fueled by want of a new contract now and not later. He'd go on to attend voluntary OTAs, however, a move that was rightfully viewed as a gargantuan stride toward a possible resolution.
In late April, Murray made his intentions known as far as where he wants to be.
"I wanna win Super Bowls with the Cardinals, AZ is home," he said, via Twitter.
In three seasons with the Cardinals, Murray has a combined record of 22-23-1, having thrown for 11,480 yards and 70 touchdowns to 34 interceptions while also adding 314 career rushing yards and 20 career rushing touchdowns on his resume.