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With each of the Arizona Cardinals’ marquee offseason moves, Kyler Murray has offered his excitement on social media and expressed optimism regarding the future of the franchise.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 8, Murray made an appearance on Wolf and Luke of Arizona Sports 98.7 to promote his upcoming charity softball game. In the interview, he restated his view of general manager Monti Ossenfort’s offseason work.
“I think we're on the right path, adding the new additions of Josh (Sweat), Dalvin (Tomlinson), a lot of other guys,” Murray said. “I'm super excited. Super excited. I trust Monti's plan, JG's plan. Doing it the right way, building through the draft while also being aggressive in free agency.”
The Cardinals’ offseason moves haven’t ended with external additions. They also signed tight end Trey McBride to a record-setting, four-year extension. The move keeps Murray’s favorite target in Arizona through 2029.
“I've never played with a tight end like Trey,” Murray said. “I've had safety blankets in my past, but to have a guy like this who is really a safety (blanket). They say the tight end's the quarterback's best friend, and this guy right here is the true definition of that. Doesn't matter if he's covered, which most of the time he's not because he runs great routes.”
McBride emerged as a dominant force over the past two seasons with 192 receptions and 1,971 receiving yards since the start of 2023.
To Murray, though, the tight end’s development off the field has been just as impressive.
“Coming from being a wide-eyed rookie, making mistakes and having those rookie mishaps, to now being a guy who can correct other guys and get us in the right stuff and tell people what they're doing, it's a beautiful thing to see,” Murray said. “He's well-deserved. He deserves every penny of it. Personally, I believe he's the best in the league.”
Often, NFL veterans resent the league’s spring calendar, which includes voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) in late May and mandatory mini-camp in early June. Not Murray.
In Tuesday’s interview, he praised the value of those workouts, suggesting that they could be particularly beneficial for his rapport with Marvin Harrison Jr.
“You have to get better when the bullets aren't flying,” Murray said. “We've gotta hone in. Routes on air, whether it's just me and him going out to the field. It doesn't even have to be the whole unit. Just me and Marv. So I'm excited to get this thing going.”
Murray pointed to a conversation with Harrison in November when the rookie recalled how fast the game was moving back in Week 1 against the Bills.
“And I'm like bro, you can communicate,” Murray said. “As he got more comfortable in understanding, just talking and just communicating with each other, he starts to open up.”
Those small increases in comfort, Murray believes, are crucial to a quarterback-receiver relationship. Even as the first overall pick in 2019, it took Murray a while to be fully comfortable in the locker room.
At OTAs, he and Harrison will have their next opportunity to take those crucial strides.
“As he gets more comfortable and more comfortable, he's gonna continue to grow,” Murray said. “And I truly believe that.”
On May 17, Murray will host a celebrity softball game at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. Tickets are available to the public for $25, with proceeds going to the Kyler Murray Foundation.
The foundation’s mission is to “champion a brighter future for underserved youth, veterans, and cancer patients by creating pathways to growth, healing, and opportunity—fueling community connection and long-term change.”
Proceeds will go to programs that support those underserved communities in the Phoenix area.
“I feel like, personally, I haven't done enough or done as much as I would like to do in the community and in this world in general,” Murray said. “God blessed me with the ability to play the game of football, baseball and to have this platform. So for me, it's my duty to give back to the less fortunate, people who are in need. It weighs on my heart heavy.”
As for the game itself, Murray expects both McBride and Harrison to participate, as well as CeeDee Lamb, his former teammate at Oklahoma. Larry Fitzgerald will be one of the coaches, with Kurt Warner potentially being involved as well.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kyler Murray praises Cardinals offseason moves
Continue reading...
On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 8, Murray made an appearance on Wolf and Luke of Arizona Sports 98.7 to promote his upcoming charity softball game. In the interview, he restated his view of general manager Monti Ossenfort’s offseason work.
“I think we're on the right path, adding the new additions of Josh (Sweat), Dalvin (Tomlinson), a lot of other guys,” Murray said. “I'm super excited. Super excited. I trust Monti's plan, JG's plan. Doing it the right way, building through the draft while also being aggressive in free agency.”
The Cardinals’ offseason moves haven’t ended with external additions. They also signed tight end Trey McBride to a record-setting, four-year extension. The move keeps Murray’s favorite target in Arizona through 2029.
“I've never played with a tight end like Trey,” Murray said. “I've had safety blankets in my past, but to have a guy like this who is really a safety (blanket). They say the tight end's the quarterback's best friend, and this guy right here is the true definition of that. Doesn't matter if he's covered, which most of the time he's not because he runs great routes.”
McBride emerged as a dominant force over the past two seasons with 192 receptions and 1,971 receiving yards since the start of 2023.
To Murray, though, the tight end’s development off the field has been just as impressive.
“Coming from being a wide-eyed rookie, making mistakes and having those rookie mishaps, to now being a guy who can correct other guys and get us in the right stuff and tell people what they're doing, it's a beautiful thing to see,” Murray said. “He's well-deserved. He deserves every penny of it. Personally, I believe he's the best in the league.”
Murray excited for work with Harrison at OTAs
Often, NFL veterans resent the league’s spring calendar, which includes voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) in late May and mandatory mini-camp in early June. Not Murray.
In Tuesday’s interview, he praised the value of those workouts, suggesting that they could be particularly beneficial for his rapport with Marvin Harrison Jr.
“You have to get better when the bullets aren't flying,” Murray said. “We've gotta hone in. Routes on air, whether it's just me and him going out to the field. It doesn't even have to be the whole unit. Just me and Marv. So I'm excited to get this thing going.”
Murray pointed to a conversation with Harrison in November when the rookie recalled how fast the game was moving back in Week 1 against the Bills.
“And I'm like bro, you can communicate,” Murray said. “As he got more comfortable in understanding, just talking and just communicating with each other, he starts to open up.”
Those small increases in comfort, Murray believes, are crucial to a quarterback-receiver relationship. Even as the first overall pick in 2019, it took Murray a while to be fully comfortable in the locker room.
At OTAs, he and Harrison will have their next opportunity to take those crucial strides.
“As he gets more comfortable and more comfortable, he's gonna continue to grow,” Murray said. “And I truly believe that.”
Murray to host celebrity softball game for charity
On May 17, Murray will host a celebrity softball game at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. Tickets are available to the public for $25, with proceeds going to the Kyler Murray Foundation.
The foundation’s mission is to “champion a brighter future for underserved youth, veterans, and cancer patients by creating pathways to growth, healing, and opportunity—fueling community connection and long-term change.”
Proceeds will go to programs that support those underserved communities in the Phoenix area.
“I feel like, personally, I haven't done enough or done as much as I would like to do in the community and in this world in general,” Murray said. “God blessed me with the ability to play the game of football, baseball and to have this platform. So for me, it's my duty to give back to the less fortunate, people who are in need. It weighs on my heart heavy.”
As for the game itself, Murray expects both McBride and Harrison to participate, as well as CeeDee Lamb, his former teammate at Oklahoma. Larry Fitzgerald will be one of the coaches, with Kurt Warner potentially being involved as well.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kyler Murray praises Cardinals offseason moves
Continue reading...
