ARIZONA CARDINALS

The Kliff Kingsbury-loves-Kyler Murray narrative grows

Feb 12, 2019, 8:17 AM | Updated: 12:11 pm

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Arizona Sports

Get your jump-to-conclusions mats ready.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is about to take us on a journey where the Arizona Cardinals draft a quarterback for the second year in a row. At the end of this fantasy, one out-of-context comment by then-Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury about then-Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray being the first overall pick becomes true.

Schefter already started this thing.

The reporter suggested — apparently without information from sources leading him this way — that Arizona could consider drafting Murray and auctioning off second-year quarterback Josh Rosen. Quarterbacks are currency, Schefter said.

Well, Schefty is still fueling that fire. This time, there’s a tangible connection to make.

Murray, who on Monday declared that he will commit to a future in pro football over pro baseball, signed an agent.

That agent is the same agent who manages Kingsbury, the Cardinals’ first-year coach.

Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray chose Erik Burkhardt as his agent, per sources.

Burkhardt also represents Cardinals’ HC Kliff Kingsbury, who said last fall he would take Murray if he had the No. 1 overall pick.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 12, 2019

Kingsbury indeed said he would take Murray as the first overall pick back in October, before he landed the head-coaching gig with Arizona and before Murray appeared likely to head to the NFL over MLB.

Would the Cardinals really move on from Rosen? It’s more plausible that, hoping to trade down from their No. 1 pick and add another high draft selection, they are building a narrative that Murray is on their board to create a market for their draft slot.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit only added to that conversation on Monday night while discussing the potential fit between the Cardinals’ offense and Murray.

Kirk Herbstreit on Kyler Murray in the NFL.

“It wouldn’t shock me between now and maybe even draft day to see Kliff Kingsbury possibly either move out of that spot, maybe get rid of Josh Rosen, and possibly try to pull the trigger to get a Kyler Murray.”#OUDNA | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/ePr3pG32IC

— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) February 12, 2019

Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Doug & Wolf the speculation is nothing more than that.

“It’s great when we have new players and new excitement around our game that will cause people to speculate and talk,” Bidwill said Tuesday. “It’s good for the talk radio industry.

“There’s always a lot of speculation that turns out to not be true. Moving forward, we’re going to continue to build this team and build around the foundation that we have.”

Whatever you believe, the reaction to Schefter’s tweet indicates this storyline isn’t going away.

So, Cardinals fans, enjoy it.

Or something.