Murray’s attendance could pay off
A 75-minute voluntary football practice in June typically isn’t a significant milestone in a relationship between an NFL player and his employer.
But Wednesday’s organized team activity — practice in shorts, t-shirts and helmets — might have been one for the Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray.
The significance of Murray’s presence will be determined if and when Murray signs a contract extension that he and his agent have been seeking since last season ended. But Murray’s decision to participate in practice Wednesday, believed to his first workout of the off-season with the team, is maybe a sign that feelings made raw by lack of negotiations have been soothed.
Or maybe the plan all along was to show up at Tempe headquarters June 1. A handful of Murray’s teammates, including tackles D.J. Humphries, Kelvin Beachum, guard Justin Pugh and receiver Marquis “Hollywood” Brown showed up for the first time on Wednesday, too.
“Feels like the first day of school again,” Beachum said.
Murray showed up that first day with a new hairstyle, per coach Kliff Kingsbury, who said that Murray otherwise looked the same as he did when the 2021 season ended.
Subsequent squabbles between team and player and agent make that seem like years, not months, ago.
Sources leaked that the Cardinals want Murray to become a better leader. Sources leaked that Murray felt like he was being made a scapegoat for another second-half collapse. Murray’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, went public with his quest to get Murray, eligible for an extension for the first time, paid sooner rather than later. The Cardinals countered with smiles and promises to re-sign Murray on their schedule, not his. Burkhardt withdrew the offer.
Neither Murray nor Burkhardt commented on the quarterback’s plans to participate in the off-season work, so it was assumed that Murray if Murray showed up before training camp, it would be at the mandatory minicamp in two weeks.
That’s why Murray’s presence Wednesday can be viewed a pleasant surprise, even though no one with the Cardinals would label it as such on Wednesday.
Murray wasn’t available to media on Wednesday, the only day of media access this week, so that left others to comment about his affairs.
“I just walked by the team work and he was leading 7-on-7 film work,” Beachum said. “He’s putting in the work. It’s been a maturation process and he’s continuing to get better and better.”
Kingsbury keeps almost all interesting information close to the moisture-wicking long sleeve shirt he wears to practices, and Wednesday was no different.
Asked if Murray was going to be a regular participant in remaining practices this summer, Kingsbury replied, “you’ll have to show up next time to see. We’re day-to-day around here. It was good to have him. We’ve been in constant communication. We’ll just kind of take it one day at a time.”
With two years remaining on his rookie contract, Murray has limited leverage to use in negotiations.
Absences at required practices later this month and into training camp could cost Murray millions in fines and forfeitures, so a holdout doesn’t seem wise.
The smarter tactic has always been to show up to off-season work, even the voluntary variety, at least often enough to say you participated and showed interest. It’s not much, a maximum of 10 organized team activities and one mandatory minicamp, but by participating Murray would prove that he heeds criticism and possesses the self-awareness required to improve weaknesses.
In the process, he would place the onus on the Cardinals to honor their word and prove their professed desire to win now by getting an extension done this summer, preferably before training starts in late July.
The first step toward any accomplishment is showing up. Murray did that by practicing Wednesday. It was a smart move toward middle ground, and the Cardinals should make plans to meet him there soon.