Kyler Murray, starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, is in the second year of his contract extension with his team after signing a five-year deal with them last year. It seems like there has been plenty of work going on behind the scenes of the Cardinals franchise when it came to sealing the deal with Murray.
Renowned sportswriter, Pablo Torre, who is known for his ability to do some pretty amazing investigative journalism, recently dropped texts between NFL owners, including Cardinals owner, Michael Bidwill, about Kyler Murray’s contract.
“In March 2022, after Deshaun’s contract was fully guaranteed, Kyler’s agent Erik Burkhardt, sent a new proposal to the Arizona Cardinals. According to the document, ‘a fully guaranteed contract was very important to both him and Mr. Murray. Mr. Burkhardt believed Mr. Murray was more deserving than Mr. Watson.’ But after the contract news and before the March 2022 owners meeting… The owner of the Cardinals, Michael Bidwill, he shows up in the story. Cause he already texted his (former) GM about Kyler’s contract saying, ‘We are going to load up this contract with so many incentives to earn the real money.'” Pablo Torre said about Kyler Murray’s contract extension.
“Thanks Deno! These QB deals are getting expensive but we limited the fully guaranteed money and have some pretty good language. Thankfully, we have a QB that’s worth paying.” Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill responded via text to Chargers owner Dean Spanos, when he was congratulated for his deal with Murray.
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill: “These QB deals are expensive but we limited the fully guaranteed money …”@PabloTorre obtained texts between NFL owners after the 2022 signing of Kyler Murray.@ProFootballTalk calls the exchange “collusion in action.” 💸 pic.twitter.com/MX9EQUVUsR
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) June 24, 2025
Kyler Murray’s contract extension showcases the various strategies that NFL owners are taking to ensure that quarterbacks no longer get fully guaranteed deals. While this may protect the franchise and their money, it also may not be fully accepted by the players themselves.
Kyler Murray And Trey McBride Aim To Be Like Mahomes & Kelce
Meanwhile, it seems like Kyler Murray’s tight end, Trey McBride, wants to have a keen and close relationship with him, just like Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. Mahomes and Kelce’s friendship is pretty solid in the field, and is in fact, one of the main contributing factors for Kansas City’s amazing offense.
In a recent conversation with ESPN, McBride admitted that he has been very inspired by Mahomes & Kelce’s friendship, and hopes to do the same with his own quarterback, Kyler Murray. Murray and McBride will be seen in action during the season opener against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
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