Former Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds said the contract discourse between his ex-team and quarterback Kyler Murray is not surprising “to say the least.”
He joined fellow former Cardinal Patrick Peterson and his co-host Bryant McFadden on the podcast All Things Covered, and Murray’s extension conflict with Arizona was touched on by the current players.
Edmonds made the point that the way the past two seasons ended — in second-half disappointments– was going to lead to frustration.
He also mentioned the power quarterbacks have in the market in the current NFL, and that teams have to pay premiums to keep franchise quarterbacks around.
“I just know, especially knowing how the last two years had ended, meaning 2021 and 2020, and knowing the type of competitor that K1 is, and the type of winner that he wants to be and is, I knew there was gonna be, at some point, some things happening,” Edmonds said. “Especially just because, you see the power that quarterbacks have now? Deshaun Watson just got 100% of his contract guaranteed. They hold the weight, man, and you got to pay them.”
Edmonds kept some of his answers vague, as he said there are certain practices the organization has that players do not agree with.
Peterson and Edmonds then discussed team culture, with the running back mentioning organizations that consistently find ways to remain in contention.
Peterson jumped in and said he’s seen the Cardinals let go of franchise cornerstones too often, explaining that winning teams would not let edge rusher Chandler Jones or defensive linemen Calais Campbell head elsewhere.
Ultimately, both former Cardinals said they did not see Murray remaining a Cardinal for his whole career.
Edmonds said that’s just the way the league is with players moving on more frequently. Peterson, who was with Arizona from 2011-20 and was not re-signed last offseason, said he did not feel the team has not consistently put itself in the best position to win and Murray is too competitive to stay if that continues.