The Arizona Cardinals were thought to have a real shot at challenging for the Super Bowl last season but those hopes fell flat as soon as they ran into the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs, with the Rams going on to win it all.
The 2022/23 season is only months away, and they aren’t thought to have much of a chance. The bookmakers have attached 33/1 odds to their prospects, which would work out well for bettors should they show some intent when the campaign gets underway. They should also note that BetMGM sportsbook has the best offers for Arizona.
Of course, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the team given the situation with Kyler Murray. The quarterback is among team veterans who are skipping the start of the Cardinals’ 2022 offseason program. According to NFL Media, Murray will be working out on his own.
This isn’t necessarily indicative of a desire to move on, though. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have done it in the past, while Jimmy Garoppolo is skipping his team’s program this offseason. Murray’s situation is different; the QB has been at odds with the team and wiped all references to the Cards from his social media profiles earlier this year.
While both parties have downplayed the tension, they have reportedly ended discourse over a potential long-term deal and other teams are now monitoring the situation.
ESPN reported after last season that the team’s management had reservations over Murray’s leadership. Murray removed all Cardinals photos from his profiles before getting his agent to publicly pressure the team into giving him a big-money extension. He isn’t expected to participate in any of the team’s offseason activities, voluntary or mandatory, unless he is offered a new deal.
There has been lots of speculation over Murray’s future with the team this offseason but things ramped up last week after NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero claimed the player’s agent took his opening contract proposal off the table.
It’s now believed that the Cards could trade Murray before the NFL Draft.
"I think we've seen the last of Kyler Murray in an Arizona Cardinals uniform,” NFL analyst James Jones was quoted as saying during an appearance on the NFL Network’s NFL Total Access show.
"I think Kyler Murray is out of here," the former wide receiver added. "I think Kyler Murray is not going to be in Arizona going into this season. It's just too much. It's been too much. Since he's come into this organization, especially this season, it's always been 'well, this ain't right. That ain't right. Well, this happened and that happened.' It's just been too much. So I think the organization is like 'you know what? There's a lot of teams out there with some draft capital. This is a young phenom, a young superstar in the National Football League, possibly could win one or two MVPs.'
"I think he's out of Arizona, I think somebody is going to give a deal to the Arizona Cardinals that gets Kyler Murray out of there and gets him on a new team. There's just too much draft capital and there's too much going on I don't know if the organization wants to deal with. And even if you do pay him I see this happening again. I see some problems with Kyler Murray, 'The roster ain't this' or something may happen. I think we've seen the last of Kyler Murray in an Arizona Cardinals uniform."
The player revealed his plans to skip voluntary programming a while back, according to NFL Media, but it’s likely that his decision comes as a result of the impasse over a new contract. The quarterback is under contract through this year and Arizona would also control his rights through 2023 should they exercise his fifth-year option this year.
The Cardinals have already lost Chase Edmonds this offseason, with the running back taking his talents to Miami. An exit for Murray might spell trouble, especially if Arizona can’t get a QB who is as good in return.
On a brighter note, the team has brought back veteran wide receiver A.J. Green on a one-year deal that was announced last week. The terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Green finished last season with 848 yards and three touchdowns on 54 catches, the closest he has gotten to 1,000 yards since 2017.
According to ESPN, he signed with the Cardinals for the opportunity to be a No. 2 receiver behind DeAndre Hopkins, marking the first time in his career when he wasn't be the top receiving option.
He wasted little time landing a role in the Cards’ offense but head coach Kliff Kingsbury admitted in December that he didn’t do a good enough job of getting the ball to the veteran.
The 33-year-old was targeted 5.75 times per game.