Even though the Arizona Cardinals were eliminated from the playoffs in Week 16, head coach Jonathan Gannon said that starting quarterback Kyler Murray will not be deactivated for the rest of the season and will start in the Cardinals’ final two games, according to The Arizona Republic’s Theo Mackie.
“It’s obviously not the outcome we wanted that we’re not going to be playing in mid-January, but I’m excited for these two opportunities,” Gannon said during a December 23rd press conference. “I understand how a lot of people think, I guess. But when you’re in our seat, the joy is competition. Last year, we weren’t playing for anything. We made a lot of hay and got better. And, we did a lot of good things last year that I thought we built on and followed us a little bit into this year.”
The 7-8 Cardinals travel West to face the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday before closing out the 2024-25 campaign at home against the San Francisco 49ers on January 5th.
Through 15 games this season, Kyler Murray has completed 68.6% of his passes for 3,288 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has also rushed for another 518 yards and five touchdowns.
Cardinals Make Questionable Choice to Not Shutdown Starting QB
Are the Cardinals Making the Right Decision?
Simply put, this is a highly questionable choice by the Arizona front office. There is nothing to gain from Kyler Murray starting the final two games of the season. The Cardinals can only be hurt by him starting. Even if he breaks the single-game passing yards and passing touchdowns record in Week 18, Arizona will not be better off during the 2025-26 season by trotting Murray out for the final two games of this year.
Maybe if Kyler Murray were built like Cam Netwon or Josh Allen, then the decision to start him could be slightly more palatable. But, he’s not. Kyler Murray is 5’10” and weighs 207 lbs., making him the shortest (tied with Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young) and second-lightest starter in the NFL this season behind only Lamar Jackson. Starting him against defenses that feature Jared Verse, Nick Bosa, Leonard Floyd, and Kobie Turner is asking for trouble.
The truth is that Kyler Murray has a notable history of injuries. He hasn’t played a full season since 2020. The former number-one overall draft pick has missed 18 total games over the last three years. It’s not just unwise to start Murray in meaningless matchups, it’s coaching malpractice.
If Murray suffers a serious injury that ends up impacting him next season, then Jonathan Gannon will not be seeing “the joy in competition.”
Main Photo: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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