Report: Contract talks between Kyler Murray, Cardinals ‘going very smooth’

Contract extension talks between Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and the team are “going very smooth,” general manager Steve Keim has told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.

Darlington adds that “getting a deal before camp remains a very reasonable likelihood” and that the drama surrounding Arizona and its signal caller appears to be a thing of the past.

“I think the Arizona Cardinals feel confident that they’ll get the deal done, hopefully Kyler feels the same,” Darlington said on SportsCenter. “Of course it takes two to tango, but for right now, I think we should continue to expect a deal to get done and for Kyler Murray to start training camp no problem with the Arizona Cardinals.”

The report comes around two weeks out from when Cardinals veterans report to training camp at State Farm Stadium.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said during the team’s mandatory minicamp this past June, which Murray was in attendance for, that he was “praying” an extension would get inked before the start of training camp.

“I’m not sure (if he wouldn’t show up for training camp if a deal isn’t done) but personally, I’m just being selfish here, I would love for him to be there first day of training camp,” Kingsbury told reporters.

The Cardinals and Murray have had a tumultuous offseason filled with reports questioning the QB’s leadership, a social-media scrubbing and numerous statements by those involved.

With Murray at the helm, Arizona has seen improvement year over year the past three seasons, going from five wins in 2019, eight in 2020 and 11 this past year.

In 2021, Murray completed a career-high 69.2% of his passes for 3,787 yards and 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He chipped in 88 carries for 423 rushing yards and five touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.

Follow @AZSports