Cardinals’ Kyler Murray reportedly will not attend OTAs, extension talks quiet for now

Arizona Cardinals star quarterback Kyler Murray has been upfront about his desire for a new contract, and as expected, he will not be in attendance for OTAs this week, per ESPN. Adam Schefter reports that it’s quiet on the contract front, but that could change in the near future.

Murray has been pushing for a new lucrative contract this offseason, and his agent, Erik Burkhardt, even released an interesting statement in February detailing that Murray wants to be Arizona’s long-term quarterback, and that he “desperately” wants to win the Super Bowl. While it doesn’t seem as though the Cardinals have shown tremendous urgency in trying to get a new deal done, general manager Steve Keim said there was “zero chance” Murray would be traded.

Last month, the Cardinals picked up the fifth-year option on Murray, which keeps him under contract through 2023 and ultimately buys the front office time when it comes to negotiations. However, Keim recently alluded to a possible timetable for an extension.

“Anytime you’ve seen quarterbacks after the third year do their contract extensions, it’s generally been anywhere from about July to September,” Keim said on Mad Dog Sports Radio. 

“It’s one of those things where we get through free agency and the draft process, there’s a lot of work that we put into that. Now, we can take a step back, take a breath, refocus and try to get something done. Kyler is our long-term future, and there’s no doubt that we want him here in Arizona.” 

Both the Cardinals and Murray want the same thing, but their opinions on when pen should be put to paper differ. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora believes that Murray will eventually get his money, but says that the guarantees and payout structure will be fascinating to see. According to Spotrac, Murray is in line to sign a six-year extension that will carry an AAV of $43 million. This hypothetical deal is virtually what Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen signed last August.