Kliff Kingsbury Unaware Kyler Murray Statement was Coming
Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray share an agent, Erik Burkhardt, but keep their business separated.
Kingsbury told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday that Burkhardt did not tell him about the statement released on Monday with Murray's contract demands ahead of time.
Burkhardt posted an all-caps document detailing that Murray wants an extension with Arizona and one that reflects the current quarterback market.
He did not specify any numbers and wrote warning statements like "actions speak much louder than words in this volatile business."
"Our long-term goal here is to have Kyler be our quarterback, and he understands that, and he understands my view of him and how I feel about him," Kingsbury said.
"I'm gonna refer back to the business side of things and that's not something that I deal with but it's all part of the business right now. We'll continue to work through it."
The head coach also said he has not spoken to Murray about the situation since the statement was posted, but he and the quarterback are in a great place.
Murray just concluded his third NFL season for the Cardinals and has one more year on his contract. Arizona can choose to exercise his fifth-year option, which general manager Steve Keim later said the team would "absolutely" do.
Keim also told reporters Tuesday that the move by Burkhardt was simply an "agent doing his job."
Keim said he has not spoken with Murray's representation in a "few days," but will keep negotiation details confidential.
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said on 98.7 FM Arizona Sports last week that quarterback contracts are complicated. He gave examples of other deals like Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen's that were agreed upon during the summer.
He, like Kingsbury, said the goal for the franchise to to have Murray be the quarterback long-term.
