Cardinals make major change to Kyler Murray contract

Oct 24, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) against the Houston Texans in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Cardinals announced on Thursday that they have made a major change to Kyler Murray’s contract.

Last week, we learned that the Cardinals and Murray had agreed on a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension. That was big news, but not quite as big as the development we learned of a few days later.

On Monday, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport leaked a major detail from Murray’s contract. The Cardinals included a clause that required Murray to put in four hours of independent study per week during the season.

Murray spoke about the matter on Thursday and indicated he was not happy with the team over the clause. Later in the day, the Cardinals announced that they had removed the clause.

“After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract. It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in his contract,” the team said in a statement.

Though the Cardinals made the announcement Thursday, the clause reportedly was removed on Wednesday.

Arizona’s comment makes little sense.

If the Cardinals had that much confidence in Murray’s study habits, they wouldn’t have included the clause in the contract. And what good does it do to remove it now after all the public damage has already been done?

The end result is both sides now look bad.