Kyler Murray posted on Instagram on Monday that “all of this nonsense is not what I’m about” and vowed to “grow and get better,” a day after sources had described the Arizona Cardinals quarterback to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen as self-centered, immature and someone who points fingers.
“I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get to this position that believed in me & to win championships. All of this nonsense is not what I’m about, never has been, never will be. Anyone who has ever stepped between those lines with me knows how hard I go,” he wrote. “Love me or hate me but I’m going to continue to grow and get better.”
Mortensen reported via sources Sunday that Murray, who scrubbed any reference to the Cardinals from his Instagram account recently, is frustrated with the franchise, was embarrassed by the team’s 34-11 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams and thinks he has been made the scapegoat.
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Meanwhile, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is said to be self-scouting to find better ways of helping Murray, and select veterans on the team hope to reach out to Murray on how the 24-year-old can better handle adversity, sources told Mortensen.
Despite the acrimony, the Cardinals expect things to calm down and for Murray to be their quarterback of the present and future, Mortensen reported.
Murray had recently cleared his Instagram account of all but two posts, one of him in an Oklahoma Sooners uniform from 2018 and another that included nine pictures of him from this year’s Pro Bowl.
Murray is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, and Arizona has until May 2 to pick up his fifth-year option. However, Murray is also eligible to negotiate a new deal now that he has completed his third season.
He’s currently scheduled to earn a base salary of $965,000 in 2022, but combined with a $4.5 million roster bonus that’s fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, Murray will take home about $5.4 million.
If Murray wants a new deal before his fourth NFL season, he’ll have recent precedent to refer to. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received a six-year contract worth $258 million in early August, before he started his fourth season.
In his three seasons in the NFL, Murray has been named Rookie of the Year and to two Pro Bowls, but this season was the first time the Cardinals made the playoffs.
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss contributed to this report.
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