The Cardinals made headlines Thursday with the announcement that they finally came to terms with quarterback Kyler Murray on a five-year, $230.5MM extension with a total guaranteed amount of $160MM. Now, thanks to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, we have a bit more information on the details within the contract. 
Murray was guaranteed $104.3MM at signing composed of a $29.04MM signing bonus, the 2022 base salary of $965,000, the 2023 base salary of $2MM, the 2023 workout bonus of $1MM, the 2023 option bonus of $36MM, and $35.3MM of the 2024 base salary worth $37MM total. The rest of the $160MM guaranteed amount is guaranteed for injury at signing and is fully guaranteed at certain dates. In March of 2024, the 2025 base salary of $18MM fully guarantees. Murray also has a 2025 90-man offseason roster bonus of $11.9MM guaranteed for injury at signing that fully guarantees in March of 2024. $26.8MM of the 2026 compensation in guaranteed for injury at signing. In March of 2025, the 2026 compensation fully guarantees in the amount of $36.8MM. Finally, in March of 2026, the 2027 base salary of $19.5MM fully guarantees.
There are a number of roster and workout bonuses laden throughout the duration of the deal. In addition to the guaranteed $1M 2023 workout bonus, Murray is due workout bonuses of $1M in 2024, $1.86MM in 2025, $1.86MM in 2026, $1.8MM in 2027, and $1.8MM in 2028. In addition to the guaranteed $11.9MM 90-man offseason roster bonus in 2025, Murray will earn 90-man offseason roster bonuses of $17MM in 2026, $14.19MM in 2027, and $7.7MM in 2028. In 2028, Murray will also be due a $2MM training camp bonus. Not only will Murray earn the annual offseason roster bonuses, the contract is also set up for Murray to earn a per game active roster bonus of $50,000 from the 2024 season through the 2028 season for a potential of $850,000 in each of those five seasons.
From the 2024 season through the 2028 season, Murray can earn two different incentive bonuses worth $750,000 apiece in each season. The first salary escalator activates if Murray records 600 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in a season. The second salary escalator is based on 70% playing time in the regular season, 70% playing time in the NFC Championship game, and an NFC Championship game victory.
Murray’s total contract value of $230.5MM ranks third for NFL quarterbacks behind Josh Allen (six-year, $258.03MM) and Patrick Mahomes (ten-year, $450MM). Both the amount guaranteed at signing and the total guaranteed amount rank second among NFL quarterbacks behind Deshaun Watson‘s fully-guaranteed five-year, $230MM contract. The average annual value of Murray’s contract is $46.1MM, which also ranks second for NFL quarterbacks behind Aaron Rodgers who recently signed a deal worth $50.27MM per year.
The 24-year-old Murray has started 46 games since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2019, only missing three games last season with an ankle injury while amassing a record of 22-23-1. Murray has improved his standing as a top NFL quarterback each year in the league. After ending the 2019 season ranked as the 19th-best quarterback (according to Pro Football Focus), Murray ranked as the 11th-best quarterback in 2020 and the 9th-best quarterback this past season.
In 2022, with contract decisions now behind him, Murray will focus on furthering the team’s improvement. After improving the Cardinals’ win total from five to eight games in his first two seasons, Murray quarterbacked nine wins in 2021 en route to the team’s 11-6 record, leading Arizona to it’s first playoff appearance since 2015. Unfortunately, Murray and the Cardinals lost their first playoff game in six years and will now strive for postseason success in 2022.
The Cardinals’ offense returns many of its weapons from last year. The team only had to replace two main contributors, subbing out Chase Edmonds for Darrel Williams and losing leading receiver from last season Christian Kirk but replacing him with Baltimore’s leading wide receiver in 2021, Marquise Brown. Arizona faces the difficult challenge of a division that includes the Seahawks, 49ers, and reigning Super Bowl champion Rams, but, with no further financial distractions under center, the Cardinals are set up to continue their annual improvement.
Translation; Far too much for a non-top 10 QB.
I don’t disagree that he isn’t a top 10 QB, but he is a quality QB. If you have a quality QB, you pay a premium price. That’s just how the NFL works.
What can’t be disputed is the Cardinals have steadily improved under Murray. You can’t not pay him and dismantle the entire thing.
Don’t forget he still can play baseball, so if he tanks he has a fall back, if cut. Makes me think he maximized this deal, with that in his back pocket. just speculation. But it doesn’t suck either and the A’s suck so they would welcome him back just to see what he has left, I suppose/hope…
This guy is Dak Prescott 2.0. Wants to get paid like a champion, but hasn’t won squat.
#2 in salary for a team projected to finish 3rd in the division! Great business decision Cards.
Cards will 100% finish better than that as long as they stay mostly healthy.
We’ll see but he hasn’t stood out for the past 3 years. This contract was for sales not wins in my opinion.
How many mini bobble heads do you have to sell to earn $230.5MM?
A whole lot! I don’t dislike Murray as person, I just don’t think much of him as a QB.
There’s a bias against short QBs and although Murray may never measure up to Doug Flutie, he’s much better than many QBs that have populated the Cardinals depth chart in the past.
That’s not a great compliment!
Perfect for this team. Now let’s see him Pout on the sidelines like he has done since being drafted. Nice work Keim. Now go ahead and trade for another player who he is buddies with and have to overpay for when you could of got one in the draft. This team will be lucky to win 8 games. One of the Worst owners ( no money) GM’s ( let’s draft players and play them out of position) and Head Coaches ( I have no clue on how to call plays or use clock Mgmt along with how many can we lose second half of the year) .
I guess he can put back the pix of him in a Cardinals jersey back on the gram. Temper tantrum over now….
It’s not the talent it’s the character that I wouldn’t want leading my team. No thank you.
Dude is not a competitor. Not many of those people win Super Bowls.
I remember when idiots were saying Kenny Stabler was too laid back and not a real competitor.
The problem with Murray is that he is a mediocre pocket QB, perhaps because of his size. He may be the most dynamic QB in the league outside of the pocket, but then he risks injury with his small frame when he gets hit. The Cards had to pay him because they didn’t want to regress back to what they were without a franchise QB, but he does have his limitations.
He’s not a leader. Everytime things break down he pouts