Cardinals GM: It’s ‘so exciting’ to build around Kyler Murray while he’s still on his rookie contract

In just two NFL seasons, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has seven,693 yards, 46 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions, whilst including one,363 hurrying yards and 15 supplemental scores on 226 carries. In NFL record, only four other players have thrown for five,000 or a lot more yards and rushed for one,000 or a lot more yards through their first two seasons: Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, and Josh Allen. 

Cardinals common manager Steve Keim appreciates he has a perhaps specific participant on his palms, and appreciates how valuable it is that fairly than becoming paid out like a single of the most effective quarterbacks in the NFL, Murray is established to have the 124th-optimum cap strike in the league ($nine,763,721) all through the upcoming 2021 year. 

“With a dude like Kyler Murray, the detail that is so remarkable for me is having the possibility to construct all-around a young participant, a dude you can develop with as an corporation and as a roster,” Keim stated. “And there are various things you can do, especially with a rookie agreement, as opposed to a veteran who is generating a appreciable component of your wage cap.”

Because Murray is generating a lot less than $10 million a 12 months, the Cardinals have been capable to provide in DeAndre Hopkins (signed to a two-12 months, $fifty four million extension) and J.J. Watt (two a long time, $28 million) in back again to back again offseasons. They experienced adequate area to trade for former Raiders heart Rodney Hudson, and they likely nonetheless have adequate area to lavish Chandler Jones with the agreement extension he wants and mainly justifies. 

Those are the advantages of finding a quarterback who can enjoy at an normal or greater degree whilst nonetheless on his rookie offer. If Murray can consider the up coming step to getting to be anything like a prime 10 quarterback, the Cardinals will only benefit even a lot more — at the very least for the up coming two a long time, whilst he is nonetheless relatively low-priced compared to other prime passers. Then, it’ll arrive time to construct all-around a single of individuals bigger veteran bargains.