Kyler Murray When four months ago DeShaun Watson signed perhaps the largest agreement of his career in NFL time, which was a guaranteed $230 million deal the implications of his salary for the entire league were evident. It was a chance to change the entire structure of how much ceiling or floor is paid to the top 10 quality NFL players’ money.
It also left a message echoing through the front office and owner suites. It was Thursday when the other shoe fell on a top 10 quarterback deal in the offseason, including The Arizona Cardinals essentially setting the stage for negotiations to begin, by signing Murray to the five-year $230.5 million extension, which includes guaranteed money of $160 million.
In the end these deals have many consequences for NFL franchises in the future in their struggle to determine the place where their quarterback be positioned, and if they’ll be able to shift the pendulum of salary towards Murray instead of Watson.
Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Russell Wilson
While this was a great day for Murray but it was a much better one for a number of other QBs, such as Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert. If the 2022 season goes there’s a chance to include the Denver’s Russell Wilson in there, also, with a potential extension that is likely to be less than the others.
All of them are expected to enter negotiations to extend their contracts next offseason. Other than Herbert the other quarterbacks listed has achieved more in terms of playing as Murray has. Jackson has been named league MVP and led the Ravens to make it to the playoffs twice over the course of four seasons. Burrow found his rhythm in 2021, and led his team of Bengals into its debut Super Bowl appearance since the 1988 season. Kyler Murray.
Wilson was already considered the kind of Hall of Fame talent who could finish his career in a blaze for an Broncos team that is active in trying for a way to maintain the Super Bowl window open. Even though Herbert hasn’t made it to the playoffs during his first two NFL seasons, he’s been off to an impressive start to his quarterback runs ever in NFL history.
This isn’t to suggest that Murray was not able to get the money that he was due. Despite having a difficult stretch, particularly when he had a bad performance in the playoffs, Murray is the star of a team that has seen improvement every season that he has been the starting player. Although nagging injuries have impacted his performance, he has maintained his durability to be able to participate in every game, with the exception of three during the last three seasons.
When he’s at his best, Murray has showcased the capability to control games and help teammates succeed around the team around him. That’s the kind of thing that gets a star a massive extension, particularly when he’s the binding element between a quarterback/coach/general manager foundation that is now signed through the 2027 season at minimum.
In the end it was clear that the Cardinals had no choice but for them to make a payment Murray or risk a tense dispute that could’ve ended with a complete franchise overhaul before the standoff was over. This is the way Arizona was able to pay what’s probably the second or third-largest quarterback contract to be made in NFL history, which is behind only Watson’s massive contract as well as Aaron Rodgers’ three-year extension which will give the quarterback a guaranteed amount of $150.8 million.
Kyler Murray – It doesn’t mean the Cardinals could not have scored at least an enviable win for themselves and the league since they stayed clear of making the whole deal guaranteed. If this had occurred the Cardinals would have legally stamped fully guaranteed contracts as the standard for all quarterbacks with top-10 caliber.
Instead the Cardinals have only guaranteed 70 percent of Murray’s contract to avoid injury, placing Watson’s contract in an outlier category with Rodgers his latest extension as well as the three-year guarantee of $84 million contract Kirk Cousins signed in 2018.