Kyler Murray drama: QB called ‘spoiled’ by dad of former Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald

There’s a been a lot of drama this offseason between Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, and Larry Fitzgerald Sr. might have just added some more spice to that drama on Tuesday with a simple tweet. 

During a conversation about Murray, the father of former Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald wrote that the quarterback is “spoiled” and that’s “he’s never been humbled.” Fitzgerald Sr. also added that Murray is a “great talent” who needs to “keep working.” The elder Fitzgerald is a journalist in Minnesota who obviously has close ties to the Cardinals.

One thing that’s not clear is if the elder Fitzgerald was making these comments based on speculation that he’s heard or if he’s saying this because of information he got from his son, who was Murray’s teammate for two seasons in Arizona before unofficially retiring in 2021. 

The comments from Fitzgerald Sr. fit the description of Murray that came out in early February. On Super Bowl Sunday, ESPN reported that the Cardinals had some major concerns with Murray with people in the organization describing him as “self-centered, immature and someone who points fingers.”

That same report also said that Murray was unhappy with the team because he was made the “scapegoat” for their 34-11 playoff loss to the Rams. That ESPN report came out less than a week after the quarterback scrubbed his Instagram account so that it didn’t mention the Cardinals at all. 

Murray added even more drama to the situation on Monday when his agent, Erik Burkhardt, released a statement that basically demanded a new contract. In the statement, Burkhardt noted that the QB wants a contract that, “Provides financial protection, is in-line with the current QB market.” 

If Murray is hoping to land a deal that pays him $40 million per year, there are only three quarterbacks currently at that level — Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Dak Prescott — and they all have at least one playoff win, which is something that Murray doesn’t have yet. 

Murray certainly has a high upside, but demanding a new contract at a point in your career where you really haven’t proven anything yet does come across as slightly “spoiled,” and doing it earlier than any other quarterback ever also isn’t a great look. Most quarterbacks who sign an extension after their third year in the league usually get that deal in June or July. The earliest a deal has ever been done for a third-year QB came when Ryan Tannehill got one in May 2015. Basically, Murray is demanding a contract at a time when quarterbacks don’t usually demand contracts. 

Publicly, the Cardinals are backing Murray, but who knows how they feel behind closed doors, especially considering the report from ESPN. 

“Put me in the corner of ‘I love him,’ and I know he’s going to get better,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said of Murray on Friday, via the Arizona Republic.

Bidwill might love Murray, but as the QB noted on Monday, “Actions speak much louder than words,” which means Bidwill can spout about how much he loves Murray all he wants, but until he gives his QB a new contract, Murray isn’t going to be feeling the love.