Armando Salguero: Both Kyler Murray And Arizona Cardinals Work To Extinguish The Contract Drama Between Them

They say the media stirs up drama, but Thursday afternoon former Arizona Cardinals players Patrick Peterson and Chase Edmonds were chopping it up on the All Things Covered podcast when the topic turned to former teammate Kyler Murray.

And suddenly these NFL veterans were talking like two attention-seeking reporters, discussing the contract drama in the desert between Murray, aka K1, and the Cardinals.

"I've been around K1 and he's a competitor," Peterson, now with the Minnesota Vikings says. "He's a fierce (bleep). And no disrespect to the Arizona Cardinals, I feel they don't put the team in position to be successful year after year after year.

"They want to sit and wait on draft picks instead of being aggressive in free agency and going and getting guys that can help you get better right now versus waiting on the future. And Kyler Murray is not going to sit around and wait on that."

Edmonds, who left the Cardinals to sign with the Miami Dolphins this offseason, chimes in:

"I know how things ended the last two years -- 2021 and 2020 -- and knowing the type of competitor that K1 is and the type of, you know, winner he wants to be and that he is, I knew there was going to be at some point, you know, something's happening," Edmonds says, suggesting a rift.

"You seen the power the quarterbacks have right now, bro. I mean, Deshaun Watson just got 100 percent of his contract guaranteed, bar none. They hold the weight, and you got to pay 'em. I feel like K1 obviously has to do what he has to do to make sure he gets paid and he takes care of himself and takes care of his family.

"But just in terms of that drama a little bit, you definitely saw it the way things ended for us the last three years. It wasn't up to our standards. And you could see the frustration ready to boil over."

It paints a picture of a quarterback who is frustrated with the organization.

It paints a picture of a quarterback unhappy with the way the club conducts business.

And it makes anyone listening believe that Kyler Murray may indeed end up traded from the Cardinals, and even if that doesn't happen, serious drama is awaiting the situation.

And then Murray obviously heard what his former teammates were saying and set the record straight:

Fire doused with one sentence.

So maybe this doesn't say it all because there is no doubt Murray wants an extension and he's somewhat irked it hasn't been done yet.

But would all that lead to a trade request from the player?

Or, more importantly, a trade by the club?

After all, the Cardinals traded first-round pick Josh Rosen after one season not too long ago.

“Zero chance,” Cardinals general manager Steve Keim told reporters Thursday. 

Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury did their best at a press conference to speak on the draft to let everyone know the Cardinals are not about to do something dumb. They will sign their starting quarterback to an extension.

It's just a matter of time even if that time apparently hasn't come yet.

"Nothing has changed," the GM said of the current negotiation. "Really, the way we've approached it is we have free agency, we have the draft, and then we'll take a deep breath and sort of refocus.

"That's the same reason that every other player that's been a third-year quarterback has been done in the middle of the summer to late summer. It's no different for us, it's just sort of the way that the system works. But nothing has changed in terms of him being our long-term and short-term quarterback.”

The obvious suggestion here is the Cardinals plan to address Murray's contract by late this summer and probably before the opening of training camp, if they're wise and want to avoid distractions.

But whatever the timing, Murray is going to stay in Arizona. At least that's what the Cardinals expect.

“I was a decent GM when Carson Palmer was our quarterback,” Keim said. “When he retired, I wasn’t very good. I am smart enough to know that Kyler Murray makes me a better GM. We took him with the first overall pick. We love him. The guy’s continued to improve. He’s made us a better football team. So, we’re really excited about his future.”

Follow on Twitter: @ArmandoSalguero