Kyler Murray has long been seen as a player with MVP potential. But entering his sixth NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback is still searching for his first vote.
That might finally change in 2025.
Murray is coming off what quietly was one of the most efficient years of his career — and now that he’s fully recovered from his 2022 ACL injury, signs point to an even bigger breakout looming.
“I think Murray quietly had one of his best seasons last year, and he’s reaching the peak of his career just as the Cardinals appear to be rounding into form,” NFL.com’s Eric Edholm wrote. “The key to building on that might be avoiding those handful of dud games Arizona seems to have offensively with Murray at the helm. Shed those, and he and the team should be in decent shape.”
Those “dud games” are what have plagued both Murray and the Cardinals in recent years, often killing momentum in the middle of otherwise promising stretches. Arizona briefly held first place in the NFC West last November but dropped five of their last seven games. And while the defense has received much of the offseason attention thanks to key draft additions like Walter Nolen and Will Johnson, the real story might be Murray.
His 2024 stat line — 3,851 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 572 rushing yards and five rushing scores — was his second-best career-wise in most of those categories. He also played an entire season healthy.
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Murray now has the best offensive arsenal he’s ever worked with, led by tight end Trey McBride and No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. If he stays on the field and maintains last year’s pace, the numbers will take care of themselves.
The Cardinals have built the roster for him to succeed. FanSided’s Romell Williams wrote that “there should be no excuse as to why Murray doesn’t have a career year in 2025.” He added that if Murray doesn’t show significant progress this season, Arizona could be in the quarterback market by 2026.
But a career year doesn’t just mean good stats — it means wins. Arizona has finished at the bottom of the NFC West two out of the last three years, and with head coach Jonathan Gannon also under pressure to deliver, expectations are rising.
There’s also the contract factor. Murray is playing under a five-year, $230.5 million deal signed in 2022, but his dead cap hit drops significantly after this season. If the Cardinals struggle again, Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr believes Arizona may look to recoup value via trade.
The stakes are clear. But so is the opportunity.
If Murray can string together consistency, stay healthy, and lead Arizona back to the playoffs in a winnable NFC West, he’ll be hard to ignore in the MVP conversation — especially for a player who’s never received a single vote.
This is the window. It’s now or never.
