While the Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray have yet to agree to a long-term contract extension, general manager Steve Keim says there's "zero chance" the franchise cornerstone will be traded this off-season.
Keim added that the team will prioritize the contract talks with Murray later in the summer, after the dust settles on other moves and the draft.
"The way we have approached it is we have free agency, we have the draft, and then we will take a deep breath and sort of re-focus," Keim said. "That's sort of the reason every other player that has been a third-year quarterback has been (extended) in the middle of the summer or late summer. It's no different for us."
The Cardinals made Murray the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and he's thrown at least 20 touchdowns and more than 3,700 yards in each of his first three seasons. In 2021, Murray led the Cardinals to a 9-2 start to the season but things fell apart after their bye week and the club finished 11-7. Still, the Cardinals did reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015 before losing to the Super Bowl champion Rams in the wild card round.
For months now, Murray and his camp have been publically suggesting that they would like contract discussions to speed up. In late February, Murray's agent Erik Burkhardt released a statement asking the team to make Murray's extension a priority.
“Looking ahead, Kyler believes that in order to consistently compete for championships, and ultimately deliver the valley their first Super Bowl in 33+ years, there needs to be long term stability for both the organization and himself,” the statement read, adding that Murray would prefer to stay in Arizona long-term.
Earlier this month NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the Cardinals had yet to make Murray a contract offer, which would fit the timeline Keim outlined Thursday. The NFL Draft is next week with the Cardinals holding eight picks, including No. 23 in the first round.
The 24-year-old is under contract through the 2023 campaign — with a salary of $5.5 million in 2022 — but Pelissero has reported that it is widely expected the Cardinals will reward him with a raise.
"Nothing has changed in terms of him being our long-term and short-term quarterback," Keim said Thursday.
