Arizona Cardinals superstar quarterback Kyler Murray was not among the players attending the team’s voluntary minicamp Monday.
Murray’s absence hasn’t tipped the team’s scales, however, as the Cardinals still find themselves in the middle of the Arizona sports betting Super Bowl LVII leaderboard heading into the heart of the NFL’s offseason.
The former Heisman Trophy winner is expected to show up when the team begins its mandatory minicamp, according to coach Kliff Kingsbury, though Murray told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero he wouldn’t suit up for the Cardinals if the team doesn’t sign him to a contract extension.
Murray’s offseason contract saga started in February, with things becoming so uncertain at one point that BetMGM took odds on whether Murray would be the Cardinals' Game 1 starter.
Murray is coming off his fourth season in the league, posting a career-best 4,210 yards of offense and 29 touchdowns, leading the Cardinals to the playoffs for the first time in a half-decade and making his team a trendy Arizona NFL betting favorite for much of the season.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Cardinals and Murray stand, entering the summer months:
Cardinals Still a Long Shot to Win Big This Season
The Cardinals still find themselves in the middle of the pack when it comes to playoff and Super Bowl betting odds for the upcoming season.
Kingsbury’s team is currently sitting at +3500 to win Super Bowl LVII in their home stadium on DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, which is unchanged from where the franchise stood after the 2022 NFL Draft concluded last month.
The oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook give the Cardinals similar odds when it comes to capturing the NFC, listing Murray and company at +2000, while pinning them at +400 to win the NFC West.
Murray himself is currently ranked 11th on DraftKings Sportsbook’s NFL MVP odds board at +2000.
If Murray and the Cardinals make it to the franchise’s second Super Bowl in 2023, they’ll become the third straight team to do so in their own stadium, joining Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams.
NFL MVP Odds
Kyler Murray's Rookie Contract
The 2022 season is the final year of Murray’s rookie contract, which was a four-year, $35.7 million deal the No. 1 overall pick signed after Arizona drafted him in 2019. Murray’s rookie deal includes an escalator clause in his base salary, taking it from $495,000 in 2019 to $965,000 in 2022, with a signing bonus of $5,897,481 in each of the four years.
Also included in Murray’s rookie deal is a $4,524,360 roster bonus and a $11,386,841 salary cap hit in 2022. Murray’s average salary in his rookie deal is $8,914,504. Murray would become a restricted free agent next offseason if an extension isn’t reached and would be an unrestricted free agent if he isn’t signed long-term before the end of the 2024 regular season.
Another thing to keep tabs on is that the Cardinals were selected by HBO as the team that’ll be featured in this year’s Hard Knocks in Season series, a year after the program centered around the Dallas Cowboys.
America will likely have a front-row seat to the negotiating window between Cardinals’ front office staff and Murray as the season unfolds. And the best sports betting apps Arizona has will be paying close attention.
