Cardinals Remain Committed to Kyler Murray

Arizona Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon laughed at the prospect of not having Kyler Murray.
Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) against the Seattle Seahawks in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) against the Seattle Seahawks in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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ARIZONA -- The sky is seemingly falling in the desert, as the Arizona Cardinals dropped a third consecutive game while also effectively putting themselves out of playoff reach with four weeks remaining in the season.

The Cardinals seem to live and die with the play of quarterback Kyler Murray, who was in MVP conversations ahead of the team's bye week at a 6-4 record and control of the NFC West.

Since, Arizona hasn't won a game and Murray's thrown five interceptions in the last three weeks, providing a recipe for disaster - especially when two of those losses come at the expense of the Seattle Seahawks.

Murray - in his sixth season - has heard much criticism with questions regarding his ability to win big games, and Sunday's test was again failed.

There's a portion of Arizona's fan base that would like to see a new quarterback in the mix moving forward, though head coach Jonathan Gannon laughs (literally) at the thought.

“Yeah, I don't have to say anything to him (Murray). He knows that," Gannon said post-game when asked about Murray's critics and sending a message that Murray is the guy for the Cardinals moving forward.

"(To) the critics, the reason that we're playing meaningful games in December right now he's a huge piece to that. That's what I would tell them.”

Gannon has been a consistent supporter of Murray dating back to the very first day he took the job, and that belief has been maintained through the nearly two full years he's been in charge.

"The takeaways hurt, but credit to ‘K1’ (QB Kyler Murray) because I think that was back to back (interceptions) and he battled and made some plays there and we got back into the game," said Gannon.

"... I thought he stuck in there and made some big time throws though, but he has to protect the ball a little bit better. That's not just him, that's all 11 so there'll be a lot of corrections off those plays to what needs to happen."

Murray himself took full responsibility of what transpired at State Farm Stadium, which included two interceptions in the first half that tilted the game in Seattle's favor:

“I feel like I let the team down today. Self-explanatory, can't do that," he told reporters following the game.

"... I've played a lot of football. Those aren't the first picks I've thrown. I had to bounce back to come back and win the game. I’ve done it plenty of times. We kept fighting until the end. We just ran out of time. We didn’t make enough plays. They made more plays than us. Put that on me. We will be better next week.”

Murray is set to complete the first season of a five-year, $230.5 million extension. He's under contract with Arizona through the next four seasons with a team option for 2028, according to Spotrac.

It doesn't seem like he's going anywhere.


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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for All Cardinals and Inside The Suns. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with Fan Nation since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!