Arizona Cardinals exercise QB Kyler Murray’s 5th-year option

The Arizona Cardinals picked up the fifth-year option of quarterback Kyler Murray’s rookie contract on Wednesday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Murray is set to earn $29.9 million in 2023 after making $5.49 million this upcoming season, according to Spotrac.

The 24-year-old is seeking a contract extension this offseason — as his agent Erik Burkhardt proclaimed in a an all-caps statement back in February — and the Cardinals have been clear that he is their desired quarterback going forward.

It is typical for teams to exercise their quarterback’s fifth-year option before extending them. The Buffalo Bills picked up Josh Allen’s after his third season and extended him the ensuing summer. The same occurrence happened with the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.

The last time Arizona picked up a former first-round pick’s fifth-year option was in 2018 with left tackle D.J. Humphries, who signed a three-year extension with the club after his fifth year.

The move also gives Arizona more time to come to an agreement. The Baltimore Ravens exercised former MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson’s option for 2022 and the two sides still have not agreed on an extension beyond this season.

While reports have indicated that the negotiations have not been the smoothest with Burkhardt pulling their initial proposal off the table, Murray has been vocal on social media about his desire to win a Super Bowl with the Cardinals.

I wanna win Super Bowls with the Cardinals, AZ is home. https://t.co/xwEw42uDBl

— Kyler Murray (@K1) April 21, 2022

Murray did not attend voluntary workouts last week, but head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he expects his quarterback to show up at some point this offseason.

General manager Steve Keim explicitly said there is “zero chance” he trades Murray.

Murray has a 22-23-1 record as a starting quarterback through three NFL seasons and two Pro Bowl selections.

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