The Arizona Cardinals are limping to the finish line of the NFL season, and Colin Cowherd believes it should be their last one with Kyler Murray at quarterback.
Following a Week 17 loss in Los Angeles in which Murray threw two interceptions and Arizona failed to eclipse 10 points, Cowherd declared it time to explore trading the sixth-year former No. 1 overall pick.
Explaining his reasoning on The Colin Cowherd Podcast, Cowherd returned to the knocks on Murray’s work ethic, which have followed him ever since he negotiated a new contract with Arizona in 2022. At the time, a potential clause in the deal around preparation time became public. Questions around how hard a worker Murray is have followed him ever since.
“Work ethic catches up to you. You can go so long on talent,” Cowherd said. “Kyler Murray’s not [a workaholic]. And I’ve got it pretty connected. And the truth is it’s caught up to him. The really good defensive coaches, this league punishes you.”
Even though the rumors around Murray’s commitment were loud, Cowherd is making them even louder. The longtime host and former NFL on Fox contributor is reporting specifically that people around the NFL believe Murray’s frequent late-season collapses are due to defenses figuring him out.
Murray has eight interceptions versus just five touchdowns since Thanksgiving. The Cardinals are 1-5 in that span.
“This is not a franchise that’s bankrupt of offensive talent,” Cowherd argued. “There’s players here.”
Still, Cowherd doesn’t appear ready to quit Murray. Not only did he claim Arizona could get a first-round pick for him in next year’s NFL Draft, but Cowherd also believes the Cardinals are ready to explore that pathway. And it could be the right thing for Murray’s career as well.
“I like Kyler. He has a market, if you got him the right team,” Cowherd added. “I think Arizona’s going to have a discussion to see if they can move him. I really do.”
The case against Murray is pretty clear at this point. Already undersized and working with a physical disadvantage against NFL athletes, Murray starts strong and closes slow every year. His sole playoff performance against the Rams, facing the full wrath of Sean McVay and Co.’s gameplan, was among the worst of any QB in recent memory.
At the same time, the argument that former head coach Kliff Kingsbury was holding him back appears to be faltering. In Washington, Kingsbury is calling an offense that has rookie Jayden Daniels and the Commanders in position for the postseason.
Plus, with so many QBs finding success in their second and third stops in recent years, it wouldn’t be hard to convince a team to take a chance on Murray. The former Heisman Trophy winner and top overall pick is still extraordinarily gifted as a runner and passer, even after an ACL tear.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.