Arizona Cardinals Need to Mend Relationship with Kyler Murray ASAP

The Arizona Cardinals need Kyler Murray far more than the quarterback needs his current franchise. As such, the Cardinals front office better make the No. 1 pick from the 2019 draft comfortable with his current setting in a hurry. 

Murray holds all of the leverage in this situation despite concerns about him within the organization. 

Sources described the 24-year-old quarterback as "self-centered, immature and someone who points fingers" to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. 

Mortensen added, "Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury is said to be self-scouting where he can provide better alternatives to help Murray ... Meanwhile, select veterans on the team hope to reach out to Murray on how the 24-year-old can better handle adversity."

Conversely, Murray believes he's been scapegoated for the team's disappointing performance during the Cardinals' 34-11 loss in the wild-card round to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams. In the contest, Murray completed 55.9 percent of his passes for only 137 yards and a pair of interceptions. 

The public airing of grievances is as much of a cry for help as it is an explanation for a couple of odd incidents over the past month. Those within the organization weren't happy when Murray pulled himself from the playoff contest, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Two weeks ago, the quarterback scrubbed his Instagram account of all Cardinals references. Now, everything is coming to a head. 

Some type of postseason hangover following a disappointing end should be expected. But the Cardinals can't let the feeling linger much longer. 

Murray hasn't faced much adversity throughout his sports career. He's been a winner and an elite talent almost every step of the way until the last three seasons in the desert. Since Murray and Kingsbury became the faces of the franchise, the Cardinals own a perfectly mediocre 24-24-1 regular-season record. A little self-reflection would go a long way, as would understanding the Cardinals won't be better without him in the lineup. 

The coach's realization he needs to find alternatives to help Murray is an excellent step in the right direction. As The Action Network's Matt Mitchell noted, late-season collapses aren't anything new for Kingsbury-led teams: 

Coming out of the 2021 campaign, the Cardinals had three or four wide receivers on the field 72 percent of the time, according to Sharp Football's Warren Sharp. Obviously, Kingsbury's background and base are rooted in Air Raid principles.

But the Cardinals have played their best when they adapted the scheme and found a way to spread defenses to run the ball. Surprisingly, the Cardinals finished seventh this season with 496 carries.

Granted, Murray accounted for 88 of those, as the quarterback finished third on the team with 423 yards. But both numbers were down from the previous two seasons' usage. Murray should continue to be part of Arizona's ground attack, with the coaching staff helping him pick his spots. 

Even with the heavy emphasis on multiple-receiver sets, the Cardinals offense got off track when DeAndre Hopkins suffered a season-ending torn MCL in Week 14. 

"He's a guy, you got to know where he's at as a defense each and every snap and got to do things to try and take him away," Kingsbury told reporters in December. "And that opens up other aspects of your offense, and so he's got a big value when it comes to being on the field, and unfortunately, we didn't have him some. And we got to learn from that and be better the next time he has to miss time. Hopefully, it's not very often."

The scheme is far too reliant on Hopkins as a star playmaker and Murray creating outside of the structure. In order to help the quarterback, improvements along the offensive line coupled with investments in the run game could take pressure off both. 

Arizona is old along their starting front five. Left guard Justin Pugh, center Rodney Hudson, right guard Max Garcia and right tackle Kelvin Beachum Jr. will all be 31 or older by the end of the 2022 campaign.

As Pro Football Focus noted, the unit struggled with its run blocking and benefitted from expanded splits and James Conner's hard-nosed running style. The Cardinals can keep their approach while significantly upgrading at multiple positions. 

Currently, the organization has little wiggle room under the projected salary cap, according to Spotrac. However, the Cardinals can clear $9.8 million simply by releasing Pugh. Beachum's departure would add another $1.7 million. Those moves can't be made without replacement plans. 

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The entire organization is in a difficult position since Conner, Garcia, Chandler Jones, Christian Kirk, Zach Ertz, Chase Edmonds, AJ Green and Maxx Williams are free agents. However, the draft could be the saving grace for the offensive line and backfield. 

The 23rd overall pick belongs to the Cardinals. There, the organization can concentrate on adding Boston College's Zion Johnson (as it did in Bleacher Report's latest mock draft), Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning or Central Michigan's Bernhard Raimann.

Conner became a key component to the offense this year with a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, Edmonds racked up 903 yards of offense in just 12 games. Still, Arizona may be able to land Iowa State's Breece Hall, BYU's Tyler Allgeier or Cincinnati's Jerome Ford at some point during the draft's second day. 

These types of additions will help create the changes necessary for the offense to succeed against better competition. The Cardinals must become more physical and talented in the trenches while limiting Murray from playing too much hero ball.  

Good faith moves in the near future don't exactly help the current imbroglio. A long-term gesture could go a long way to restoring Murray's faith, thus spurring a recommitment to the job from the quarterback. 

The window to picking up Murray's fifth-year options opens this offseason. The decision should be a no-brainer for the Cardinals, and they should communicate their intentions as soon as possible.

An early contract extension should be in the mix as well. Money is the great equalizer. Furthermore, early negotiations should help in terms of overall value the Cardinals can get by signing Murray to a long-term deal sooner rather than later, particularly after the two sides came off a disappointing end to the season.

These overtures have the potential to show the organization isn't scapegoating Murray and it's committed to him, as it should be. Despite everything, Murray is the Cardinals' best chance at competing for a title in a league where elite quarterback play is mandatory. 

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The Cardinals are already in the same division as the reigning Super Bowl champions. The two teams split their regular-season contests. A quick look around the NFC isn't nearly as overwhelming as the AFC, considering who is behind center.

Murray can be as good, if not better, than any other quarterback in the NFC, depending on where Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson end up this offseason. From there, Dak Prescott is the main obstacle.

Stafford found the perfect fit in the City of Angels, but Murray brings a completely different dynamic to games with his awesome speed and athleticism. The Cardinals' quarterback fits the mold of the new generation.

A festering situation is the last thing Arizona wants. Prescott is an ideal example of a team improperly handling its quarterback by stringing him along. Ultimately, the Cowboys caved and gave their starter a four-year, $160 million contract extension.

Rodgers and Wilson have either held out or quietly requested trades, only to play the following season with the same team. Mixed results occurred, but the teams ultimately put everything aside to do business with their most high-profile players.

Murray has options if he really wants to press matters, though.

Today's athletes are more than capable of forcing their way out of certain situations. Due to their recognizability, the chance to control their own narrative through social media and the amount of money involved, athletes hold more power than ever to dictate their fate. In Murray's case, he can also pull his trump card by threatening to leave football altogether and play professional baseball.

Arizona can benefit by trading Murray and acquiring numerous draft assets. In doing so, the franchise will admit to its failures and reset the entire franchise.

As a result, the Cardinals can't let this situation fester. Maybe their concerns are warranted. Even if they are, a quarterback of Murray's caliber is worth changing the franchise's current direction by letting him steer the ship.

Otherwise, the organization will be right back where it started without a quality triggerman behind center as one of the league's worst teams.

                  

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.