Cardinals’ Kyler Murray on Jonathan Gannon: ‘You want to win for a guy like that’

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon made no qualms about it when asked point blank if quarterback Kyler Murray was part of the team’s future plans.

“There’s no doubt,” Gannon told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday before doubling down on his comments on Wednesday.

“I’ve been convicted since I got here,” the head coach added. “What the guy’s done for us, the player that he is, the person that he is, the competitor that he is. I kind of chuckle (at the Murray question).”

For those who have been inside the walls of the Tempe training facility, Gannon’s words aren’t out of left field by any means. Gannon has long maintained Murray was his guy.

And from the sounds of it, the feeling’s been mutual for the quarterback, who didn’t need much time with the head coach to get a sense of what he is about and isn’t surprised one bit by Gannon’s comments.

“It means a lot (to have Gannon’s support), but he’s told me that since Day 1. For me, it was nothing really that was in the back of my mind or anything like that. I wasn’t really worried about it, just focused on going out there and playing well, proving them right, proving him right and continue to try to do that every day.”

“(First talking to him in the weight room for 15 minutes), I knew it was instant as far as this guy’s knowledge of the game and how he sees the game. And then he got the job and from that day on, it was kind of like — I won’t say it’s like when you meet your best friend — but it was instant. We speak the same language.”

Under the new regime, Murray is 3-4 as a starter, completing 64.7% of his passes for 1,537 yards and nine touchdowns to five interceptions in seven games played.

There’s been ups and downs upon his return from a torn ACL, but Murray has shown a willingness to learn a new offense under coordinator Drew Petzing and is taking clear steps in the right direction. A full offseason not dedicated to recovering from a torn ACL should help even more in his trajectory.

On top of that, he’s taken a step forward in both the leadership and maturity departments.

So even if the narrative of Murray potentially not being the guy still has legs heading into the offseason, the QB and the head coach know they’re on the same page.

“I’m locked in. I’m locked in,” Murray said.

“You want to win for a guy like that,” the QB added of Gannon. “He’s the type of guy you run through a wall for, because he’s got your back. I’m trying to win regardless of who it is, but for sure.”

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