Kyler Murray made a stink this offseason and it appears to have worked.
It has for Murray at least, who reportedly agreed to a five-year, $230.5 million extension that will make him the second highest paid quarterback in the NFL by average annual value, according to ESPN. Only Aaron Rodgers’ average salary of $50.3 million per year is higher than Murray’s figure of $46.1 million per season.
Murray is now making almost as much per year ($46.1 million) than the entire payroll of the Oakland A’s ($48.5 million) the team that drafted him in the first round in 2018.
So, is he worth it?
The numbers would say that he is. Murray is the first player in NFL history with at least 70 passing touchdowns, 20 rushing touchdowns, 3,500 passing yards, 400 rushing yards and 17 games with a completion percentage of at least 70% in his first three seasons per ESPN. His completion percentage of 66.86% is the best through three seasons for any player in NFL history. He was a legit MVP candidate at the beginning of last season, won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and has made the Pro Bowl in two of his three professional seasons.
Yet, it’s not like the prospect of Murray running the Cardinals offense is likely to make a team like the 49ers all that worried about the immediate future. Arizona has fallen off hard in December under Murray and Kliff Kingsbury. After a 7-0 start last season, the Cardinals finished the year 4-6 and got blown out by the Rams in the playoffs. In 2020, they missed the playoffs after losing six of their last nine games.
There’s also Murray’s bizarre behavior, where he seemed to be wanting a trade if he didn’t get an extension, despite still having two years left on his rookie deal (if Arizona picked up his fifth-year option). His unofficial holdout worked, however, and now the Cardinals are committed to Murray for the future.