Cardinals head coach warns not to bet against Kyler Murray

After a rough couple of years in Arizona, Cardinals franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is viewed as one of the more talented NFL players at the position. However, the injury bug has bitten him, limiting him to 19 games the last two seasons. 

When healthy, Murray is one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the NFL, so Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon was not shocked by Murray’s jumper he displayed at a recent Oklahoma City Thunder playoff game.

Murray and teammate James Conner were hanging out at the game and took a couple of warmup shots from the corner.

“I got home and clicked on the game and there they were. I was just with these guys three, four hours ago,” Gannon said. "That was really cool ... If you do anything against (Murray), don’t bet him because he’ll take your money.”

Gannon seemed to be speaking of the competitiveness of Murray, although he’s only been around the former No. 1 pick for a year. Their first season together in 2023 saw Murray sidelined for the first half while recovering from an ACL injury. Murray appeared in eight games, passing for 1,799 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

While the Cardinals won just three games with Murray under center last season, it had to feel good seeing their marquee player finally healthy and playing well. Murray was named Rookie of the Year in 2019, followed by two Pro Bowl selections in 2020 & 2021. 

In last month’s draft, the Cardinals went out and selected a new prime target for Murray. The team used the No. 4 overall pick on Marvin Harrison Jr. Adding Harrison to the offense as a 6-foot-4 wide receiver should take a lot of pressure off Murray’s shoulders. 

Murray saw much of his early success while having a big-time threat on the outside in DeAndre Hopkins. If Harrison is half as good as projected, he and Murray could become one of the top QB-WR duos in the league before too long.