Ex-Cardinals players criticize team over Kyler Murray contract dispute

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 have been hearing it from Kyler Murray’s camp over their handling of his contract situation. Now, former members of the team are taking aim as well.

Former Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds, who left the team this offseason to sign with the Miami Dolphins, admitted he was skeptical that Murray would end his career with Arizona and questioned the franchise’s culture.

“When you see (good) culture teams in the NFL, like the Baltimore Ravens, the New Orleans Saints, the San Francisco 49ers, those teams that no matter how talented they look, bro, from top to bottom, they just somehow find a way to win damn games,” Edmonds said on the “All Things Covered” podcast, via Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic. “They just somehow find ways to continue to be in big games and successful seasons year after year … It’s something about that culture that you can’t really even put your finger on. Some teams have that culture, and some teams don’t and sometimes it starts from the top to the bottom. It takes its place. I feel like that’s kinda what it was for us.”

Longtime Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson also questioned the organization, citing Arizona’s inability to keep its best players.

“I think the thing that Arizona does a bad job of, dropping the ball is, keeping key guys, keeping core guys there that can help you continue to build,” Peterson said. “Like a Chandler Jones for example. If you are looking to win, if you are looking to compete for a Super Bowl championship, there’s no way in the world Chandler Jones should be walking away. I don’t care how you cut it. I’ve seen it time and time again with Calais Campbell … the list goes on. They have a tough problem just keeping guys there that mean something to the team.”

This is a pretty brutal assessment of the Cardinals organization. Worse, it comes from a player who was with them in 2021 in Edmonds and a franchise great in Peterson.

Murray wants a new deal from the Cardinals, though the team apparently has not made an offer yet. His long-term future with the organization is clearly in some doubt.