QB Brett Hundley happy to re-sign with hometown Cardinals

Brett Hundley doesn’t enter free agency with curiosity about his market. The quarterback leaves that to his agent and usually heads off to travel the world.

But the Chandler-raised Hundley also made it clear that the fit with the Arizona Cardinals and his comfort spending the past year at home made a return to Arizona desirable. A year after leaving the Seattle Seahawks to join the Cardinals, he agreed to stay Sunday on a one-year deal.

“It was something I wanted to do, just coming back home for another year and being home another year,” Hundley said on a video conference call Wednesday. “For me, it was another good opportunity just to stay where I wanted to stay, be where I want to be, be around family and friends, and also stay in the offense that I want to stay in.

“This offense allows me to do everything I can do … I love working with these guys, Kyler, Kliff and the whole coaching staff.”

Other teams showed interest in Hundley, he said, but the quarterback spent most of the offseason thus far hopping across Europe, Asia and New Zealand. That left any contract talks or negotiations to his agent.

“I just travel, and I say, ‘Whenever I need to fly back in and whenever it’s time, you just let me know and I’m back,'” Hundley said. “I don’t like looking at (negotiations and contract) stuff, I don’t like getting into it. I just want to know where I’m playing football next.”

Hundley headed back home from his travels after the coronavirus spread across the world and scuttled some of his plans. He was set to travel to South Korea, for example, but called it off hours before getting on a plan because the infection rate had tripled over one day’s time.

This past season, Hundley looked like the perfect backup to starter Kyler Murray while playing in head coach Kliff Kingsbury offense. He picked it up quickly in training camp and even looked smoother than the rookie starter operating within it during much of the preseason.

When Murray went down with a hamstring injury in the third quarter of a Dec. 22 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Hundley stepped in behind center and finished off the Cardinals’ 27-13 victory.

In three appearances, he went 5-of-11 for 49 yards and diced up defenses with his legs, rushing for 41 yards on seven carries. Most of those numbers piled up in less than a half of the Seahawks game.

Hundley compared Murray to a little brother at the end of 2019.

Now, with running back Kenyan Drake returning and Arizona’s addition of No. 1 receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Hundley is excited to run it back alongside Murray next season.

About that Hopkins trade specifically: Hundley knows how happy Murray must be feeling.

“That’s awesome,” Hundley said. “Bringing a weapon like that into this offense is really scary and dangerous.”

The Cardinals offense as a whole, he said, should be able to take significant steps forward with so many returning pieces as well.

“When you have two quarterbacks who know exactly what the offense is about, how to run it, how to operate it … it sets the tone of everything,” Hundley said.

“There’s no lull or teaching again. The offense is really quick to pick up in the first place, but when you already got it down, we should be off and running whenever we start back.”

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