Kingsbury backs Murray's $230M deal: 'At his best, I don't know who's better'
Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury believes Kyler Murray deserves every dollar of the five-year, $230.5-million extension the quarterback signed Thursday.
"You see the market for these quarterbacks and what guys are getting paid," Kingsbury said on "The Dave Pasch Podcast."
"There's very few (quarterbacks) when you line up every Sunday and say we have a chance. Our guy is one of those that give you a chance. And at his best, I don't know who's better in this league."
Murray, who's under contract through 2028, also earned $160 million guaranteed as part of his new deal. The 2019 first overall pick now ranks second in the NFL with a $46.1-million average annual salary, behind only Aaron Rodgers ($50.27 million).
"He's going to continue to get better," Kingsbury said of Murray. "The contract deal, I feel really good about. I know he's our future here. The talent is generational in what he can do running with the football.
"Each year, you look at the stats, wins, anything, and it's gotten dramatically better. That's what I've been really excited about. I knew when we drafted him (that) he had a chance to be (one of the) top guys in the league. The kid's come in - Rookie of the Year, back-to-back Pro Bowls. I think he takes criticism. I think some of (it) is unfair for some reasons I won't get into."
The Murray-led Cardinals looked like Super Bowl contenders through the first half of last season after starting 7-0. But Arizona - which saw Murray miss three games due to injury - lost steam as the campaign progressed, finishing second in the NFC West with an 11-6 record. The Cardinals then suffered a 33-11 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
Murray was on track to have a career year in 2021 before sustaining an ankle injury in Week 8. The 24-year-old still finished the season with a career-high $69.2% completion rate for 3,787 yards. He also threw 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 14 games while rushing for 423 yards and five scores - down from 819 yards and 11 TDs in 2020.
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