Cardinals' Kyler Murray on 77 Madden Rating: 'I Thought You All Were Joking'

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray isn't pleased with his Madden 21 overall rating of 77, which places him 20th among all NFL signal-callers.

Appearing on ESPN's First Take on Friday, Murray let show host Molly Qerim and analysts Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman know how he felt.

"Honestly, I thought you were joking when you said that because I ended the year as a 77," Murray said.

"But I can't really say everything I want to say on the air right now...I kind of take it as a disrespect, but is what it is. Like I said, I let my play speak for itself. Hopefully, it will bump up during the year."

Murray later added that he was "really shocked" he was a 77 and that he "didn't even know what to say."

A 77 places Murray in a tie for 20th in the NFL among quarterbacks alongside Buffalo Bills signal-caller Josh Allen. New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Jameis Winston, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff and the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow are one point below. New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton and the Cleveland Browns' Baker Mayfield sit one point ahead.

Fans and players alike get up in arms over Madden ratings every year, but Murray's 77 is a head-scratcher.

An 87 would be more believable than a 77, which places him in the lower half of the quarterback pool. Murray said that he "at least" belongs in the 80s, citing his speed and acceleration, and that sounds about right.

Murray threw 20 touchdown passes and rushed for 544 yards and four more scores in his first year. He completed 64.4 percent of his passes despite being sacked a league-high 48 times.

All things considered, Murray fared quite well considering he was thrown into the fire on day one as a highly touted rookie out of Oklahoma.

The first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft had to acclimate to a new team as the face of that franchise alongside new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, and the two had some bright spots.

Of note, the Cardinals took the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers to the limit twice before losing and upset the playoff-bound Seattle Seahawks on the road.

The sky is the limit for Murray, and it's likely he'll be crossing 80 and moving up the quarterback rating list shortly.