After signing quarterback Kyler Murray and coach Kliff Kingsbury to big contract extensions in the offseason, it appeared the Cardinals had secured their long-term future.
Six weeks into the 2022 NFL season, Arizona sits at the bottom of the NFC West. Kingsbury’s offense — his supposed calling card — has languished, scoring just 11 touchdowns total.
Murray, now one of the highest-paid players in the league, has looked average. With six passing touchdowns to four interceptions, he is on pace for the worst season of his career.
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The Cards’ early-season foibles have put a blinding spotlight on Murray and Kingsbury’s deals. In a mediocre division — the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks are all 3-3 — Arizona’s subpar play has stuck out like a sore thumb.
There are mitigating factors, of course. DeAndre Hopkins’ PED suspension has weakened the offense, as has Chase Edmonds’ offseason departure. James Conner was bound to regress to the mean after scoring 15 touchdowns in 202 carries last year.
But Murray and Kingsbury haven’t done the team any favors. Murray is completing 65.6 percent of his passes, his lowest completion percentage since his rookie year. His 84.3 QBR is the lowest of his career.
The advanced analytics offer a similarly pessimistic view. After performing above league average in every major quarterback statistic, excluding sacks, in 2021, Murray is well below average in most stats in 2022. Per Pro Football Reference, Murray is 27 percent worse than the average NFL QB in yards per completion.
That’s not good enough for a player who’s making $46.1 million in 2022, the third-highest salary in the league.
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There have been some memorable moments. Murray led the Cards on a frantic fourth-quarter rally en route to an overtime victory over the Raiders. But that was in Week 2. Since then, Arizona has dropped three of its last four games and failed to score more than 17 points in all but one of those contests.
That’s an indictment for Kingsbury, who was lauded as an offensive genius during his time at Texas Tech. His offense’s aerial exploits drew plenty of praise, not the least from former Red Raiders star Patrick Mahomes. Despite a sub-.500 collegiate record, Kingsbury got himself a shot at the big time.
Kingsbury proved his worth last year, helping to unlock Murray’s potential as the Cards secured a postseason appearance. But a 26-27-1 career record doesn’t make for pretty viewing, especially not this year in a division as open as the NFC West.
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That record becomes even more damning when considering Kingsbury’s extension. Although the specific details are unclear, there were rumors linking the 43-year old tactician to a return to the college game. Given the salary numbers associated with Power 5 coaching — Nick Saban is making $9.9 million a year at Alabama, for example — Kingsbury’s new contract likely places him among the league’s highest-paid coaches.
In years past, that wouldn’t matter. Kingsbury led the Cards to top-10 finishes on offense in 2020 and 2021.
But the offense’s torpidity in 2022 hasn’t gone away after six games. In fact, it has gotten worse. And that’s with newcomer Marquise Brown showing real WR1 potential.
There’s time for Murray and Kingsbury to right the ship. Hopkins will be back for Week 7. The overall talent is there for Arizona to compete in this NFC West.
But the clock is ticking. Given the size of Murray and Kingsbury’s new contracts, it feels as if the clock is moving quickly.
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