Gambo: Cardinals QB Kyler Murray ‘definitely regrets’ Instagram scrubbing

The Arizona Cardinals’ start to the offseason was kicked off by a lackluster Wild Card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams and has since festered into a social media saga surrounding the team and quarterback Kyler Murray.

Shortly after Arizona’s season came to a close, it was discovered that the signal caller had deleted all but two posts on his Instagram — a photo gallery of his Pro Bowl appearance on Sunday and a 2018 post about his Heisman Trophy win.

Since then, multiple reports indicated frustration on both of Murray’s and the team’s parts. Still, it’s a main headline across the NFL.

But after sitting back and watching the social media drama lead headlines over the past week, the signal caller is wishing none of that came to light, sources tell Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.

“I’ve heard talking to a whole bunch of different people that he definitely regrets that this all came out,” Gambadoro told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Wednesday.

“So I do believe that it was a mistake. I think he believes that it was a mistake that all of this came out and they’ve got to move on.”

pic.twitter.com/SpcEVwqox7

— Kyler Murray (@K1) February 14, 2022

Murray is up for a contract extension, and that was raised as a potential reason for the social media scrub. While he’s still under his four-year, $35.6 million rookie contract that also carries with it a fifth-year team option, the quarterback can receive an extension as early as this offseason.

But when it comes to extending quarterbacks, teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have waited to ink new contracts for their respective franchise quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (July 2020) and Josh Allen (August 2021) until much later in the offseason.

“Nobody’s doing the deal three weeks after the season ends,” Gambadoro added. “So I don’t think that the Cardinals said, ‘There’s no way we’re doing a deal with you. There’s absolutely no way.’ I don’t think that happened.

“I think that if a deal could be beneficial to both sides, I think that something could get done. But … Murray’s under contract this year, he’s under contract next year with a fifth year option.”

In his third NFL season, Murray, the first overall pick in 2019, threw for 3,787 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as Arizona went 11-6. He was named to his second Pro Bowl for his efforts.

Murray added another 423 yards on the ground with five additional scores.

But in his first playoff game, Murray struggled greatly, throwing for 137 yards and two interceptions in the lopsided defeat. He finished the game on the bench as backup Colt McCoy stepped in over the course of the final moments of Arizona’s season, something referenced during Super Bowl Sunday.

Two reports in particular really kicked the Murray-Cardinals drama into high gear ahead of the big game.

NFL Network Mike Garafolo reported that the Cardinals are looking for Murray to take steps in his leadership and maturity, including sideline body-language.

He gave one example: Murray didn’t want to finish the Wild Card game against the Rams while the game was in its winding moments, despite McCoy urging him to re-enter. McCoy finished the game by handing the ball off twice to Eno Benjamin to end the loss.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen also reported Sunday that there has been an “odd vibe” with the Cardinals and a “frustrated” Murray following the team’s stumbling end to the season that closed with a loss to the Rams on Wild Card Weekend.

Sources also told the reporter that Murray is described as self-centered, immature and a finger-pointer.

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