NFL analyst thinks former Oklahoma star could be Surprise trade candidate
NFL analyst thinks former Oklahoma star could be Surprise trade candidate
We've reached the offseason in both college football and the NFL. Player movement is a significant part of both sports. The winter transfer portal has come and gone, but college players will be able to look for new opportunities in April. In the NFL, free agency is right around the corner, and the NFL Draft is under two months away.
Typically, there aren't a ton of surprises in the NFL. However, Ian Valentino, an NFL analyst for The 33rd Team, took the opportunity to highlight five surprising trades that could occur this offseason and included Arizona Cardinals quarterback and former Oklahoma Sooners Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray.
Valentino wrote about five surprising trade candidates in the NFL this offseason, and Murray, who has spent his entire pro career in the desert, was on the list.
Arizona has shown no inclination to move Kyler Murray, but the timing of a trade now makes sense. Turning 28 this summer and a season removed from a torn ACL, Murray remains a physically intriguing player who doesn't affect winning in a significant way. He completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 3,851 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions last year and has almost a 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio for his career. - Valentino, The 33rd Team
The Cardinals have been rebuilding since the failed Kliff Kingsbury experiment blew up in their face. But Arizona improved from 2023 to 2024.
Being a dual-threat helps Murray bring more value. He's averaged more than 500 yards and six touchdowns on the ground each season. Arizona still has Murray on its books for another four years and $29.9 million guaranteed, but he'll be angling for more soon. That looming new deal to get more guaranteed dollars is what could trigger an early trade. Does Arizona want to make Murray more than the 10th-highest-paid quarterback as he is now? If not, then calling the Jets, Giants, or Raiders could be the fastest way to sell high on Murray and help this regime revamp with a rookie in 2025 or 2026. - Valentino, The 33rd Team
2024 was Murray's best statistical season since 2020. Last season he threw for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also ran for 572 yards and five touchdowns on the year to help the Cardinals to an 8-9 record. That was a big jump in performance from their 4-13 mark in 2023.
He was selected first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cardinals and former GM Steve Keim following Murray's incredible 2018 campaign with Oklahoma. That year, he won the Heisman Trophy, helped Oklahoma win the Big 12 and took them back to the College Football Playoff for the third time in four years.
Murray's star collegiate season in Norman happened after he transferred from Texas A&M, redshirted, served as the backup, and was drafted by the Oakland A's of the MLB. After breaking out on the gridiron with his blazing speed and quickness, superior athleticism, and big-play ability, he eschewed baseball to stay with football instead. He took the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2021 but suffered a season-ending injury in 2022.
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