Kyler Murray addresses rumors of acrimony, drama inside Cardinals organization

After news came out that there was tension between Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals behind the scenes, the former No. 1 overall draft pick addressed the rumors of his immaturity rather quickly, posting on Twitter Monday afternoon.

“I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get to this position that believed in me & to win championships. All of this nonsense is not what I’m about, never has been, never will be. Anyone who has ever stepped between those lines with me knows how hard I go,” Murray wrote. “Love me or hate me but I’m going to continue to grow and get better.”

According to a report, there had been some signs of frustration after a rocky end of the regular season and their abrupt one-and-done appearance in the playoffs this season.

“The odd vibe between the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray is indeed alarming: Murray is described as self-centered, immature and finger pointer, per sources Murray is frustrated with franchise and was embarrassed by playoff loss to Rams and thinks he’s been framed as the scapegoat,” Chris Mortensen wrote on Twitter Sunday afternoon.

Despite the reports of immaturity, the Cardinals are expected to try and calm things down and continue forward with Murray as their franchise quarterback. Going by Murray’s word, it looks like both sides are trying to patch things up heading into 2022.

Select veterans on the Cardinals hope to connect with Murray about how he handles adversity. Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury also is self-scouting where he can provide better alternatives for the quarterback, according to the same report.

Murray, 24, signed a four-year, $35 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, after the franchise took him off the board with the first-overall pick. 2022 is his last year under contract, and he is owed $965,000 in base salary, plus another $5,897,481 in signing bonus next season. However, after the 2022 season, the Cardinals have the option to pick up his fifth-year team option if the two sides are unable to reach a deal.

He appears to be pursuing a long-term, lucrative contract extension. Perhaps understandably, the star quarterback wants to do everything in his power to avoid Arizona picking up his team option, forcing him to spend another year on a rookie deal.