Murray shakes up the market with massive extension
One of the most significant contract extensions in NFL history became official on Monday when star quarterback Kyler Murray resigned with the Arizona Cardinals on a five-year deal that will pay him $46.1 million a year, which is excellent news for other quarterbacks.
Last season, the Cardinals finished in 2nd place in the NFC West Division with an 11-6, making them eligible for the playoffs before losing in the wild-card round to the current Super Bowl champions and division rival, Los Angeles Rams, by a final score of 34-11.
Murray, 24, led the way with 3,787 passing yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 423 yards and five touchdowns, which earned the first overall pick from the 2019 draft another trip to the 2022 Pro Bowl for the second year in a row.
Murray’s yearly salary of $46.1 million in his newly signed deal is so massive that his contract is almost the same as the Oakland Athletics’ of the MLB’s 2022 payroll, which ironically is the same team that he was drafted by back in 2018 in the first round with the ninth overall pick.
Many quarterbacks across the NFL have already gotten paid the big bucks, such as Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Deshaun Watson moments after he got traded to the Cleveland Browns. Now Murray adds himself to a list of great quarterbacks getting paid.
The market across all professional sports leagues has been going berserk. As the annual salary cap keeps increasing, especially in the NFL, the price has gone for many players as they continue to get paid. But, of course, the higher the salary cap, the more players will get paid, which will most likely be the case.
With Murray signing his extension, this guarantees that many other quarterbacks across the league will likely get paid more than Murray or about the same.
Many quarterbacks across the league, such as Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, have not received a contract extension yet from their teams.
Although many players have not gotten paid yet, they are in line for a massive payday, whether it is the team that drafted them or a team that signs them. With the cap going up every year and the market being as hectic as possible, don’t be shocked if you see more players get bigger contracts down the line, especially since Murray got his.