The Kyler Murray-Cardinals standoff calmed down around the draft, after the situation escalated in the weeks preceding it. But the Pro Bowl quarterback will stay away from his team while it is free to do so.
As the Cardinals begin their first set of OTAs this week, their centerpiece player did not report. Murray will not attend this week’s set of OTAs, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Given this offseason’s developments, it would be a surprise if Murray showed for the team’s final two sets of OTAs — June 1-3 and June 6-9 — absent an extension.
Although Kliff Kingsbury said he expects Murray to be at the team’s mandatory minicamp next month, all remains quiet on the contract front, Schefter adds. Murray’s camp has applied some pressure on the team to hammer out an extension, first seeking one before the draft. With that in the rear-view mirror, Murray can stay away from the Cards’ workouts for a bit.
While minicamp would be the next notable chapter here, training camp represents the point when this becomes a true stalemate. The 2020 CBA prevents teams from waiving fines for camp holdouts, which would put Murray to a test. The former No. 1 overall pick is attached to a $965K base salary this year, though he is playing out a contract that contained $35MM guaranteed. Murray has a bit more in the bank than most rookie-contract players, making a potential holdout more realistic than it otherwise would. The Cards also picked up his fully guaranteed fifth-year option — worth $29.7MM — for 2023.
For all the drama surrounding Murray’s future in Arizona, the fourth-year passer indicated last month he is not seeking to be traded. But he has long aimed for an extension ahead of this season. The team has kicked the can down the road a bit, with owner Michael Bidwill pointing to recent summer extensions for Patrick Mahomes (July 2020) and Josh Allen (August 2021) as a reason Murray should be patient. Kingsbury said Monday the team has not changed any…
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