Why 2025 is Make-or-Break for Cardinals QB Kyler Murray

The Arizona Cardinals are approaching a pivotal season in 2025. Now in year three of the Jonathan Gannon era, the Cardinals are well ahead of schedule and appear to be a team primed to get back into the postseason.

To get that far, however, they will need several players to step up and hold their end of the bargain. Perhaps no other player on this team will face more pressure and emphasis to do so than quarterback Kyler Murray.

It’s weird to think the former number one overall pick is already going into his seventh year in the league, and although he’s had plenty of success, there have been far too many shortcomings during that time.

Kyler Murray Enters Seventh, But Most Important, Season

Arizona has made the playoffs just once in Murray’s time in the desert, and a quarterback taken first overall in any draft class should find far more success than that.

And thus, it puts Murray at a crossroads for his career, not only with the Cardinals, but in the pros entirely.

2025 will force Murray to prove many things to fans, critics, the Cardinals, himself and seemingly an endless number of other groups and people. There’s no shortage of tasks he must complete and overcome, either

We can start with the most obvious - and that’s for him to prove that he can win at the next level. To his defense, he hasn’t always been set up for the biggest amount of success with Arizona, but at some point you need to rise above your expectations and overcome obstacles.

We’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks be able to lead their team to the playoffs in spite facing the same number of the things that Murray has faced, and as we said, a former number one overall pick should be someone capable of doing such.

Unfortunately, that simply has not been the case. We can understand and give empathy to Murray for the obstacles and circumstances he faced to start his career, but at some point, we have to begin holding him accountable and I think year seven is more than an appropriate time to do so.

But there’s more for him to prove as well. Murray is undeniably one of the most talented, pure athletes in the pros and one who has defined a new generation of athletic passers in what has been the rise of the dual threat quarterback.

It’s unquestionable, and yet he has had nowhere near the success of his peers in that status such as Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and most recently Jalen Hurts.

Murray is, and firmly belongs, in the conversation with those three and others I didn't mention in terms of athletic dominance, but he is so far behind those three across the board — not statistically, not with accolades, not with winning… None of it. He’s simply nowhere near any of them in this multiverse or any other.

Have the others had better situations placed behind them? Undoubtedly, especially from a coaching perspective. But I stand firm and will continue to feed a fed horse that any former number one pick should be able to overcome his circumstances with very few.

Murray has made the Pro Bowl twice, uplifted average players, and gotten the most out of elite ones. We’ve seen him play at a high level before, but not only has he failed to do it consistently, but he’s also failed to reach the height of his potential.

I won’t say he can be better than the three quarterbacks we mentioned, but there truly is not much that should keep him out of that conversation; everything preventing him from getting there is on him and no one else.

Rise above your circumstances. It’s a simple as that.

With all of this in mind, it brings us to the conclusion that 2025 truly is a make-or-break season for Murray.

I mentioned earlier expectations for Gannon’s Cardinals has been raised because of the success of the team. They’ve done this in spite of average-at-best play from Murray and they could have (likely should have) made the playoffs last year if he had stepped up. That is now the minimum expectation for Murray: to step up and carry this team when they need him to.

That’s also the minimum expectation the Cardinals should be placing on him. It’s more than fair and I won’t apologize for saying that.

I’ve long been a defender of Murray and have even granted him excuses for his average play. But that changes this year.

It has to be this year — we’re out of waiting time and certainly patience. It’s also worth mentioning the 2026 NFL Draft class is loaded, and I mean loaded, with future starting quarterbacks and several future superstars.

If Murray doesn’t get it done this year, don’t be surprised if Arizona finds his replacement next year.

Time to get it done, Murray. He’s capable in every single way and it’s now up to him and no one else.

2025 should be the year that determines where Murray is in 2026. Will he still be running the Arizona Cardinals, or will he be looking to reinvent himself somewhere else in the league?

We’re going to find out.

Kyler Murray Enters Seventh, But Most Important, Season

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