Cardinals' Kyler Murray Eyes Elite Status in NFL: 'I Don't Play to Be Mediocre'

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had a perfectly fine rookie campaign in 2019. Maybe he didn't reach the level of past hyped quarterbacks in their first years, but he's got plenty of room to grow and develop—and a coaching staff seemingly devoted to providing him as many tools possible to do so. 

Consider Murray all-in on his growth, too. The Oklahoma product won't be satisfied until he's mentioned among the game's greats. 

"I think we have a very quarterback-friendly offense," Murray told AZCardinals.com. "And as far as the elite status goes, I don't play to be mediocre. I think that's a deal that can be obtained. So we'll see next year."

Murray finished the 2019 season with 3,722 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. 

Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is already bullish on Murray's development, noting the growth he saw in Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson following his rookie season provided a template for Murray and his offense.

"You see what Lamar was in that last playoff game [of 2018], the previous season walking off the field, to what he is now," Kingsbury said. "We'd love to take that next step with a young quarterback and build it around him and have that type of success. That's obviously reaching high, but there's a pretty good example."

The comparison doesn't line up perfectly, since Jackson only started seven games during his rookie season, but Jackson's completion percentage increased from 58.2 percent to 66.1 percent from year one to year two. Murray finished his first season with a 64.4 completion percentage, so even a slight improvement there would be a big step forward—or more specifically in Murray's case, cutting back on turnovers. Murray also finished with a QB rating (87.4) higher than what Jackson finished with as a rookie (84.5).

Arizona already has plenty of explosive players to utilize as Murray progresses. Aside from running back David Johnson and veteran tight end Charles Clay, Murray will get to continue learning from future Hall of Fame wideout Larry Fitzgerald, who recently announced he'd return for another season.

The whole picture gives Kingsbury hope that Murray will become an elite quarterback sooner than later. 

"The skill set is phenomenal," Kingsbury said. "You can see that every week he plays. It's just consistency in all those other things off the field that really make the great ones the great players they are."

The Cardinals need Murray to improve in the win-loss column either way after a 5-10-1 finish in 2019.