The acrimony between Kyler Murray and the Cardinals appears long in the rear-view mirror. Arizona’s franchise quarterback may be moving toward an extension.

Mentioned months ago as eyeing a deal ahead of training camp, Murray may get his wish. Conversations between the Cardinals and Murray’s camp are going smoothly, according to ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington, who calls an extension ahead of training camp a “very reasonable likelihood” (on Twitter).

Both Michael Bidwill and GM Steve Keim targeted the late-summer window as the time when a Murray extension would most likely happen. Kliff Kingsbury, extended along with Keim this offseason, stumped for a Murray deal as well. This process has been back on track for months. After reports of strife between Murray and the Cardinals and a report before the draft indicating the team had not yet made an offer, Murray said he was not seeking a trade and subsequently reported to OTAs and minicamp. That was interpreted as a sign he and the team were back on the same page. It appears that interpretation was correct.

The Cards have Murray signed for two more years, via a $29.7MM fifth-year option exercised in May, but first-round QBs usually sign their first extensions ahead of their third seasons. Since the 2011 CBA reshaped rookie salaries and timetables, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Ryan Tannehill (with the Dolphins) proceeded on that course. Lamar Jackson did not, making the Murray negotiations of particular relevance to the Ravens QB.

Murray and Jackson may be the first quarterbacks to go through with extensions in the aftermath of Watson’s fully guaranteed Browns deal; thus, the structures of each extension-eligible passer’s accord could be seminal moments for the QB market. With Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert extension-eligible next year, how the Cardinals’ Murray deal looks will be important for the Bengals and Chargers’ plans.

But Murray, 25 in August, should be expected to land a deal near or beyond the $45MM-per-year point. Four passers are signed for at least $43MM AAV. He represents the Cards’ first homegrown QB with superstar potential since the franchise’s 1988 relocation. Each of the above-referenced QB extensions ran for at least four years, with Allen’s at six and Mahomes’ at 10. With Murray already signed through 2023, it should be expected his next Cards accord will run into the late 2020s. While Murray’s place in the current QB landscape is not yet known, Arizona appears ready to find out while paying him top-tier money.

An offseason that injected considerable turbulence into the Cardinals-Kyler Murray relationship continues to stabilize. The two-time Pro Bowler is expected to report for the team’s second set of OTAs, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Murray stayed away from the team for the first round of OTAs last week, but Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes he was back at the Cardinals’ facility Tuesday (Twitter link). The team’s second set of OTAs begins today. With Murray back in the building for the Cards, more signs point to a resolution on a contract the quarterback’s camp wants completed before his fourth season begins. The substance of Murray’s OTA work matters far less than his presence for these voluntary sessions, considering where this situation stood months ago.

After a report of acrimony between Murray and the Cardinals surfaced shortly after their season ended, the dynamic QB removed Cardinal-related content from his social media accounts. His agent then sent out a blueprint outlining extension goals, and an ensuing report indicated Murray did not wish to play a fourth season on his rookie contract. Just about everything since, however, has resulted in some fence-mending between the parties. That trend appears to be continuing with Murray’s OTA arrival.

Although the Murray camp’s hope of an extension coming together before the draft (presumably so more teams would be open to acquiring him via trade) did not materialize, the former No. 1 overall pick said he did not wish to be traded. Steve Keim said last week he foresees an extension coming together this summer. Michael Bidwill slotted the summer as a window a deal could commence, though the owner’s comments came before Deshaun Watson‘s potentially game-changing Browns contract was finalized.

Extensions for Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer notwithstanding, the Murray negotiations will be new territory for the Cardinals. How much the quarterback’s camp pushes for Watson-like guarantees could go a long way toward determining how the next round of extension-seeking passers — a list that includes Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson — will proceed.

Murray will undoubtedly join Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Derek Carr and Matthew Stafford as players tied to $40MM-per-year contracts. The extension’s timing has always been the sticking point. Murray is under contract through 2023, via the $29.7MM fifth-year option exercised in May. The Cards extending Murray with two years of team control left would not be out of step with recent QB history, though the post-extension paths of Jared Goff and Carson Wentz do serve as warnings for teams who dive in too early.

The Cardinals made some notable additions to their offense this offseason. Murray will be reacquainting himself with ex-Oklahoma teammate Marquise Brown on the field. The fellow 2019 first-rounder represents the top addition to Arizona’s offense, though the team used a second-round pick on tight end Trey McBride. Those two join an offense featuring DeAndre Hopkins and Zach Ertz as its top weaponry.

With his camp lobbying for a pre-draft extension, Kyler Murray has been expected to use the leverage he has to avoid playing a fourth season on his rookie contract. The Pro Bowl quarterback is skipping Cardinals OTAs, for the time being.

Steve Keim may be on the same page with Murray, at least regarding an extension ahead of this season. During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, the 10th-year Cards GM pinpointed this summer as a window for a Murray deal.

“I just think it’s a timing thing,” Keim said, via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban. “Anyone who has done it before has done it anywhere from July to September. No different for us. We know he is under contract for another year and also the fifth-year option [in 2023]. He is our future, we feel that strongly.

The Kyler Murray-Cardinals standoff calmed down around the draft, after the situation escalated in the weeks preceding it. But the Pro Bowl quarterback will stay away from his team while it is free to do so.

As the Cardinals begin their first set of OTAs this week, their centerpiece player did not report. Murray will not attend this week’s set of OTAs, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Given this offseason’s developments, it would be a surprise if Murray showed for the team’s final two sets of OTAs — June 1-3 and June 6-9 — absent an extension.

Although Kliff Kingsbury said he expects Murray to be at the team’s mandatory minicamp next month, all remains quiet on the contract front, Schefter adds. Murray’s camp has applied some pressure on the team to hammer out an extension, first seeking one before the draft. With that in the rear-view mirror, Murray can stay away from the Cards’ workouts for a bit.

While minicamp would be the next notable chapter here, training camp represents the point when this becomes a true stalemate. The 2020 CBA prevents teams from waiving fines for camp holdouts, which would put Murray to a test. The former No. 1 overall pick is attached to a $965K base salary this year, though he is playing out a contract that contained $35MM guaranteed. Murray has a bit more in the bank than most rookie-contract players, making a potential holdout more realistic than it otherwise would. The Cards also picked up his fully guaranteed fifth-year option — worth $29.7MM — for 2023.

For all the drama surrounding Murray’s future in Arizona, the fourth-year passer indicated last month he is not seeking to be traded. But he has long aimed for an extension ahead of this season. The team has kicked the can down the road a bit, with owner Michael Bidwill pointing to recent summer extensions for Patrick Mahomes (July 2020) and Josh Allen (August 2021) as a reason Murray should be patient. Kingsbury said Monday the team has not changed any plans regarding Murray being its long-term QB. The Cardinals, who have had just one quarterback start more than five seasons since relocating in 1988 (Jake Plummer, from 1997-2002), will soon be tested on the extension matter. The Browns’ Deshaun Watson deal made sure of that.

As the Kyler Murray camp’s draft deadline for an extension approaches, the Cardinals continue to sit tight. The team has the Pro Bowl quarterback under contract through 2023, via the fifth-year option that will be exercised, and does not plan to let this saga devolve into an early divorce.

Steve Keim said Thursday a “zero percent” chance exists Murray will be traded, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (on Twitter). This is fine by Murray, who soon added he wants to “win Super Bowls with the Cardinals” and indicated (via Twitter) he does not wish to be traded. While the situation could become contentious at some point, we do not appear to be there yet. Michael Bidwill soon tripled down here.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Bidwill said of a Murray trade (via the Arizona Republic’s Kent Somers, on Twitter). “There’s just too much outside noise that people listen to. We understand that’s just part of what goes on these days with social media. It’s just not the case.”

Murray’s camp has pushed for an extension ahead of the draft, after which other teams will make high-profile quarterback investments and close off potential trade routes. But Murray’s Thursday tweet downplays any interest the two-time Pro Bowler has of landing his eventual extension elsewhere. Keim added that quarterback extensions are often done after the draft (via Urban, on Twitter).

Recent extensions for quarterbacks seeking second contracts on normal trajectories — as opposed to Dak Prescott‘s re-up at the 2021 franchise tag deadline — have occurred after the draft. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz and Jared Goff signed their initial extensions in the summer. The Cardinals may well be planning to follow suit. The team is not certain to extend Murray this year, potentially viewing the season as a proving ground for a talented player whose performance has tailed off in each of his Pro Bowl campaigns. Wentz and Goff’s extensions backfiring on the Eagles and Rams, respectively, may well impact the Cardinals’ timetable. But Murray’s camp will surely attempt to force the issue before training camp.

A report last week indicated the Cardinals had yet to make an offer, and Murray may be realizing no extension will be finalized before the draft. He is staying away from Arizona’s offseason program for the time being, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting this has been the plan for a bit now (Twitter link). Murray would face fines if he stayed away from the team’s minicamp or training camp, but skipping mandatory activities would be his top leverage play, as it would significantly affect the team’s preparation. But other teams have also received the message the Cards have no interest in trading Murray, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.

Quarterback drama has persisted throughout the offseason’s early months, and one of the early contributors here is back in the mix. Kyler Murray is seeking a Cardinals extension before the draft, but two weeks ahead of the event, nothing is on the horizon.

The Cardinals have not made Murray an offer, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The team still wants to keep Murray long-term, but the sides are not negotiating. This has understandably led other teams to monitor this situation, which ties into Murray’s camp wanting an extension by the draft (Twitter links). The 24-year-old standout became extension-eligible in January, and his side has ramped up the pressure on the Cardinals to hammer out a deal. Team Murray still views the draft as a deadline, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.

Murray’s agent pulled his extension offer weeks ago, Pelissero adds. The market has undoubtedly changed, with Deshaun Watson signing a fully guaranteed $230MM deal with the Browns and Aaron Rodgers raising the per-year bar beyond $50MM. Murray has established himself as one of the league’s top young quarterbacks, though the two-time Pro Bowler has seen his play tail off after hot starts in each of the past two seasons.

A report of the Cardinals being annoyed by Murray started the drama in Arizona, and Murray had issues of his own with the organization. Murray soon scrubbed the Cards from his social media accounts, and his agent sent out a much-discussed statement regarding his client’s extension pursuit. This led to the start of a peacemaking effort, but it is clear the sides have work to do to complete that.

The former No. 1 overall pick is under contract for two more seasons, via the fifth-year option the Cardinals plan to pick up, but it has not been uncommon to see teams extend franchise quarterbacks after their third seasons. Watson, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes received monster re-ups after their third years. Of course, the post-Year 3 deals the Rams and Eagles gave Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, respectively, might factor into the Cards’ decision-making here. Both extensions led to trades that saddled those teams with record-setting dead-money sums.

The draft plays a role here due to Murray’s camp believing more teams would be interested ahead of the event. Even though this year’s quarterback crop has not been highly praised, teams will undoubtedly make big investments at the position, thus narrowing potential Murray destinations and reducing his leverage. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill called Murray’s extension process “complicated” and did not seem to be on the same page regarding a pre-draft extension. The team holds considerable leverage here anyway, but it will be interesting to see how Murray’s side operates in the coming days.

The Kyler Murray situation sounds like it’s far from over. According to Albert Breer of TheMMQB, the Murray situation in Arizona has the “potential to get worse before it gets better.”

[RELATED: Cardinals To Pick Up Kyler Murray’s Fifth-Year Option]

Specifically, Murray and his camp don’t want to wait until the summer to discuss a potential extension, which is what the QB was told by the organization following the season. Rather, Murray prefers to sign an extension with the Cardinals at some point between now and the draft in late April.

Why the rush? Well, if the wheels fall off and Murray ends up getting shopped, the QB’s camp believes the market will be more robust prior to the draft. The belief is that a trade partner would be willing to pay Murray his desired extension, which is why the player’s camp is so focused on the number of potential suitors…after the draft, a number of potential suitors will be off the board. Further, a summer holdout would be tougher due to “strengthened rules to further punish players who stay away.” Plus, a summer holdout means Murray would be spending crucial time away from his teammates, a factor that could be important if he ends up lining up under center for the Cardinals in 2022.

While Breer cautions that he’s not saying Murray will ultimately demand a trade, he believes that the scenario is on the table.

There is some good news for those rooting for Murray to return to Arizona. Per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the QB has returned Cardinals images to his social media profiles. According to a source, this is “the latest olive branch that Murray has extended at a time when the relationship is frayed.”