Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown said his agent and the front office have had discussions regarding a long-term contract extension.

"It's been positive both ways. I want to be in Arizona," Brown said, per Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. "The feel from it is they want me here, too. I leave that to my agent and I just do what I've got to do on the field."

Brown is set to be a free agent in the spring as he plays out the final year of his rookie contract.

In his second season with the Cardinals, Brown has struggled to make a consistent downfield impact. He's compiled 45 receptions for 486 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 and has largely been held in check making big plays despite his otherworldly speed.

The shrug-worthy stats have been somewhat impacted by the health of Kyler Murray, who suffered a torn ACL midway through the 2022 season. When Murray was in the lineup last season, the pair were consistently productive. However, they have not found their rhythm yet in Murray's two games since returning in 2023, with Brown totaling a paltry 46 yards on three catches.

Negotiations with Brown have complications because he's not productive enough to warrant being franchise-tagged in March if the two sides fail to reach an agreement. The Cardinals very likely want to pay him in the midtier of receivers, which would fall somewhere in the $15-18 million range annually.

Brown would likely prefer to land a deal that inches him closer to the $20 million range, but that's hard to justify given his struggles this season.

That said, exploring the free-agent market and finding one team desperate enough for an explosive wideout could wind up getting him the financial windfall he's looking for.

The Arizona Cardinals have claimed former New York Jets running back Michael Carter off waivers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders also put in claims for Carter, per ESPN's Field Yates. However, Arizona landed Carter by virtue of having the worst win-loss record (2-8) from that group.

The Jets released Carter, who was the third-string running back in New York, on Tuesday. Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters the decision was made in order for the 24-year-old to get a "fresh start" and a shot at more playing time elsewhere.

Breece Hall has served as the team's top back thus far, with veteran Dalvin Cook working as the backup.

Carter, a third-year pro out of UNC, has just 23 touches this year (eight carries for 38 yards, 15 catches for 68 yards).

The 5'8", 201-pound back is two years removed from a great rookie campaign in which he amassed 639 rushing yards and 36 receptions for 325 receiving yards. However, Carter did not fare as well in 2022, rushing for just 3.5 yards per carry.

Carter was a positive locker room presence in New York, as noted by offensive tackle Mekhi Becton:

Mekhi Becton said he knows it’s a business, but emotions are “low” after the #Jets cut Michael Carter.

Said he was a special guy in the locker room. No matter what day Carter was having he could put a smile on people’s faces.

“We know why they did it. We know the situation.” pic.twitter.com/kyMYMbvZaw

— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) November 15, 2023

He joins a Cardinals backfield led by starter James Conner, who is backed up by rookie Emari Demercado and Keaontay Ingram.

In his first game since tearing his ACL 11 months ago, Arizona Cardinals star quarterback Kyler Murray looked like his old self as he led the team to a 25-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Murray finished with 249 yards and an interception on 19-of-32 passing while also adding 33 rushing yards and a touchdown. He spearheaded a two-minute drive late in the fourth quarter that culminated with a game-winning 23-yard field goal by Matt Prater as time expired.

Murray impressed from start to finish by showing off the arm talent and the creativity that made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. He looked comfortable using his legs to escape trouble, picking up a key third down with a 13-yard scramble during the game-winning drive. He also threw a 33-yard pass to Trey McBride to set up Prater's walk-off field goal.

The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Cardinals, who improved to 2-8 in Murray's return.

Fans on social media were excited by what they saw from Murray in Sunday's comeback victory:

Not going to lie, kind of emotional right now.

Kyler Murray came back from a major injury and just led his team to a victory.

CARDINALS WIN

— Kyler Burd (@AZCard_BurdsEye) November 13, 2023

Kyler Murray returns and the Arizona Cardinals are winning football games again.

Not a coincidence.

— Johnny Venerable (@JohnnyVenerable) November 13, 2023

KYLER MURRAY MAKING MAGIC HAPPEN 🪄

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/Gk5VTfsFjO

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 13, 2023

KYLER MURRAY IS BACK 🔥

He was +250 to score a TD on COD release week

(via @NFL)

pic.twitter.com/c27TVaP0Jn

— br_betting (@br_betting) November 12, 2023

Kyler Murray hasn't played in 335 days and snapped the Cardinals' 6-game losing streak in his return 🙌 pic.twitter.com/BlyuMGQKot

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2023

What an awesome moment for Kyler Murray.

— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) November 13, 2023

Kyler Murray answers the bell. What a performance in his season debut.

The worst team in the NFL without him looks like a competent group with QB1 on the field.

— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) November 13, 2023

Kyler Murray looking very Kyler Murray today. He should be a Top 12 QB ROS.

— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) November 12, 2023

https://twitter.com/PBSImpulse9/status/1723843356684402748

this half of Kyler Murray is better than anything we saw last year outside the Raiders game.

— Connor (@redseaconnor1) November 12, 2023

2 quarters into his return from an ACL tear, Kyler Murray has:

- 143 passing yards
- 61.1% completion
- 13 rushing yards
- 1 rushing touchdown

— Kyler Burd (@AZCard_BurdsEye) November 12, 2023

Kyler Murray scoring a touchdown with his legs, 11 months to the day after tearing his ACL on this field, is poetic justice

— Dani Sureck (@DaniSureck) November 12, 2023

The biggest take away from the first half. Kyler Murray looks like Kyler Murray. A rushing touchdown to cut the Falcons lead to 14-12

— Mark McClune (@MarkMcClune) November 12, 2023

The league is better with Kyler Murray starting in it

— Shane P. Hallam (@ShanePHallam) November 13, 2023

At this point, the Cardinals are in the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. However, Murray's return gives the team a legitimate chance to string together some success over the second half of the season.

Murray and the Cardinals will return to action next Sunday against the Houston Texans.

Kyler Murray will be back under center for the Arizona Cardinals during Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, and he reportedly turned some heads with his studying habits even while sidelined this season.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, "sources describe Murray as 'awesome' with how he's studied and learned, asking questions and wanting to understand offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's new scheme."

That is notable because Rapoport noted he "didn't always appear to be engaged during the last coaching regime" and even had a film study clause in his contract that was eventually removed.

Murray opened up about the criticism he received for the contract clause ahead of the 2022 season.

"I've been through a lot," he said, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

"Honestly, me being who I am, I was kind of born on that, don't let outside noise affect me. And I feel like I've done a pretty damn good job of that my whole career, my whole life. That was nothing new. Nothing new. I'm a 5'10" quarterback, I get s--- for my size. But, no, I'm not fazed by it one bit. I'm gonna continue to do my thing."

Unfortunately for Murray, he has been unable to do his thing this season as he recovers from a torn ACL.

Yet that will change when he takes the field for the Cardinals during a stretch run that is still quite important to the long-term path for the franchise even if this season is essentially a lost one thanks to a 1-8 start.

Rapoport explained both Murray and the front office "are going into these next eight games with eyes wide open."

KYLER MURRAY IS ELECTRIC. #AZCardinals

📺: #MINvsAZ on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/MQ2THg6Qau

— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2021

If the two-time Pro Bowler, who is still just 26 years old and not far removed from his 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year performance, impresses when he is back under center, the team may decide to build around him as the franchise signal-caller.

Yet it may also decide to move on from Murray and turn its attention toward a rookie quarterback in the 2024 draft if he doesn't play well or if someone such as Caleb Williams is ultimately deemed too talented to pass up.

For his part, Murray has reportedly prepared at a notable level ahead of his return as he attempts to rediscover the form that saw him account for a combined 66 touchdowns as a back-to-back Pro Bowler in 2020 and 2021.

If he does, he may still be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals will have significant reinforcements on their offense for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, James Conner will play against the Falcons after being designated to return from injured reserve earlier this week.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon already announced Kyler Murray will make his season debut on Sunday.

Conner was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 10, two days after he suffered a knee injury in Arizona's 34-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The move ensured he would have to sit out at least four games.

The Cardinals designated Conner to return from IR on Wednesday. It allowed him a 21-day practice window before the team had to decide if he could play in games, or be shut down for the remainder of the season.

Conner apparently didn't need that much time to show he was healthy. The 28-year-old was officially listed as questionable after being a limited practice participant all week.

Getting Conner and Murray back in the same game will provide a huge boost to an Arizona offense that struggled to get going for most of the season. The unit ranks 26th in the NFL in yards (289.7) and 28th in points (16.8) per game.

In last week's 27-0 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Cardinals gained a total of 58 yards with rookie Clayton Tune at quarterback. The combination of Keaontay Ingram, Rondale Moore and Tony Jones had 13 rushing yards on 16 carries.

Conner was one of the best running backs in the league prior to his injury. He's averaging a career-high 5.4 yards per attempt on 68 carries and still ranks third on the team with 394 yards from scrimmage despite not playing in the past four games.

Even if the Cardinals don't give Conner a full workload in his first game back, his presence in the backfield will provide a significant lift to a rushing attack that has struggled in his absence.

The Cardinals are hosting the Falcons at State Farm Stadium on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.

Multiple NFL executive believes the Arizona Cardinals will encounter serious trouble if they attempt to trade quarterback Kyler Murray

"That's just not a tradeable contract," one NFL executive told The Athletic's Jeff Howe.

"Moving that contract is problematic," another exec said to Howe.

Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension that runs through 2028. As Howe noted, Murray is due a fully guaranteed $35.3 million salary next season, and he'll get another $11.9 million for 2025 if he's on the roster on March 17, 2024.

If the Cardinals want to move Murray, they'd likely prefer to do so before March 17 to avoid incurring that hit. But that puts Arizona in a bind with other teams in negotiations given the desperation to get rid of him.

"As another team, why would I do that?" an executive told Howe. "They'd probably just cut him."

The Cardinals are at a crossroads right now. If the season ended today, Arizona will hold the No. 1 overall pick, meaning a change to start over at quarterback (perhaps with USC's Caleb Williams). Ultimately, the 1-8 Cardinals should likely be in a position to pick high come April.

Murray is coming off a torn ACL suffered last December, but he's set to make his 2023 debut on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. The 2019 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year flashed at times during his four-year career, most notably when the two-time Pro Bowler accounted for 66 total touchdowns in 2020 and 2021, leading the Cardinals to the 2021 playoffs.

His most recent year (2022) was arguably his worst, though, with a career-low 6.1 yards per pass attempt and just 14 passing touchdowns through 11 games. His 87.2 quarterback rating was also a career-low mark.

Of course, the 26-year-old still has plenty left in the tank, and it's certainly possible he will return back to that 2020-2021 form. But the Cardinals are under new leadership this year with general manager Monte Ossenfort and general manager Jonathan Gannon and could be compelled to start over with a new (and perhaps higher-ceiling) player in the draft.

If that's the case, getting Murray off the roster will certainly prove costly, especially in dead cap money, and he could in theory just be released. But he doesn't have any guaranteed money due to him after 2024 either.

For now, though, Murray is set to lead the Cardinals over their final eight games, beginning with a home game against Atlanta on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.

Kyler Murray isn't the only player who will be returning to give the Arizona Cardinals a boost this week.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters on Friday that running back James Conner is "trending in the right direction" to play against the Atlanta Falcons.

Conner was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury on Oct. 10. It's a good sign for his recovery that he could play this week since the team just opened his 21-day practice window on Wednesday.

Gannon officially announced Murray will start on Sunday. It will be the two-time Pro Bowler's first game since Dec. 12, 2022, when he tore his ACL in the first quarter of a Monday night game against the New England Patriots.

Having Conner back on the field will do a lot to take pressure off Murray. The 28-year-old had 394 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns in five games before suffering a knee injury.

Conner's 5.4 yards per attempt is the second-best among all running backs with at least 60 carries. Raheem Mostert of the Miami Dolphins is the only player ahead of him at 5.6 yards per attempt on 106 carries.

The Cardinals have used a combination of Emari Demercado and Keaontay Ingram in the backfield when Conner was unavailable. Demercado sat out last week's game against the Cleveland Browns due to a toe injury.

It seems unlikely that Demercado will be ready to go this week after missing practice each of the past two days. Ingram made his first career start against the Browns but was limited to eight yards on nine carries.

Things should be a little bit easier this week for Arizona's rushing attack against the Falcons defense.

Atlanta ranks 14th in the NFL with 106.9 yards allowed per game on the ground. The Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings have run for more than 140 yards against the Falcons in each of the past two weeks.

Despite their 1-8 record so far this season, the returns of Murray and Conner make the Cardinals far more interesting and potentially competitive than they have been thus far.

K1 is officially back.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has been named the starter for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons after recovering from a torn ACL, head coach Jonathan Gannon announced Friday.

"I'm excited for the guy," Gannon told reporters.

Now Playing ▶️ pic.twitter.com/RFa7Xymdht

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 10, 2023

Murray tore his ACL in a Dec. 12 matchup against the New England Patriots during the 2022 season and has been sidelined for the last 11 months while recovering.

"I'm kind of emotionless," Murray told reporters on Thursday of his emotions about taking over at quarterback following a long recovery. "Not trying to get too high, get too low. It's been a long, long 10 months."

Gannon told reporters earlier this week that the franchise needs to have realistic expectations for Murray's first game back after nearly one year out of game action.

"We (have) got to be willing to understand that it might not look like (pre-injury) Kyler, and I think he's got a good expectation of that," Gannon said.

Murray put together a solid 2022 season before going down with a torn ACL. In 11 games, he completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 2,368 yards and 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions, in addition to rushing for 418 yards and three scores.

The 26-year-old's return to the lineup is a huge boost for the Cardinals, which are fourth in the NFC West with a 1-8 record.

Arizona relied on Josh Dobbs under center through the first eight weeks of the season before turning to rookie Clayton Tune in Week 9. With Murray's return expected, the Cardinals traded Dobbs to the Minnesota Vikings at the Oct. 31 deadline.

While Murray is currently QB1, there has been speculation about his future in Arizona with the Cardinals expected to receive a top pick in the 2024 draft and the potential to select one of the top signal-callers in USC's Caleb Williams or UNC's Drake Maye.

That said, Murray will have the remainder of the 2023 campaign to prove that he can still be the team's starter and be the same player he was before tearing his ACL.

Joshua Dobbs had an iconic moment in his first appearance for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9, but the 28-year-old quarterback wasn't expecting to be playing for another team this season.

In an interview with Fox 9 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dobbs said Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon initially said after their Week 8 game against the Baltimore Ravens he would remain the starter. He also said he was told the following day that he wasn't going to be traded even though Clayton Tune would be getting the start in Week 9.

Watch: #Vikings QB Josh Dobbs explained how his final 36 hours in Arizona went down😳

He was told on Sunday after the game vs the Ravens that he would be the starter.

He was then told the next day that the team would be starting Clayton Tune, but that he would not be getting… pic.twitter.com/efwAefQN7w

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) November 10, 2023

The Cardinals wound up trading Dobbs and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Vikings for a 2024 sixth-round pick on Oct. 31, hours before the NFL trade deadline.

Minnesota was in need of a quarterback after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in the fourth quarter of a 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.

It wasn't a surprise that Arizona traded Dobbs, especially after it announced that Tune would be starting in Week 9. Even though Gannon may have assured him no deal was going to happen, it didn't make sense for the Cardinals to keep him with Kyler Murray getting ready to return from a torn ACL.

There was no expectation that Dobbs was going to play for the Vikings against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9. Per ESPN's Kevin Seifert, Dobbs didn't take a single rep in practice leading up to the game and didn't know the names of most of his teammates.

When rookie Jaren Hall, who started against the Falcons, left the game with a concussion, Dobbs had to gather Minnesota's five starting offensive linemen to run through the team's cadences so they would have at least some familiarity together.

Dobbs told reporters that head coach Kevin O'Connell had to translate calls and map out plays while he was in the middle of the huddle because he didn't have time during the week to get familiar with them.

The Vikings managed to make it work by pulling off a 31-28 win over the Falcons by scoring 21 points in the second half. Dobbs finished 20-of-30 for 158 yards and two touchdowns.

It was Minnesota's fourth consecutive victory and kept the team in the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff race.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has had a front row seat to watch as his squad has struggled to a 1-8 start in his absence.

The star signal caller is finally ready to return this week following a torn ACL that he suffered last season and knows that he's coming back to a squad that is much better than its record indicates.

"We're really not that far off," Murray said Thursday via The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov. "Obviously, people may think we're a bad football team. We're not a bad football team."

While the Cardinals are in prime position to earn the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft and select Murray's potential replacement, the expectation should be that they'll be vastly improved with the former top selection under center Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

And that's because Murray has a point.

Despite the rough start to this campaign, Arizona has been way more competitive than anybody thought it'd be. Aside from last week's loss to the Cleveland Browns and a Week 4 defeat against the San Francisco 49ers, the Cardinals haven't loss a game by more than 17 points all season.

Although it doesn't look like that big of an achievement, it is when considering their injury woes and strength of schedule. They have also played the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks through their first nine games.

In one of the most surprising results of the season, Arizona actually managed to beat Dallas and its talent-ladened roster.

The Cardinals rank in the bottom half of the league in both offense and defense. But the former should improve a bit once it's injected with Murray's dynamism.

The last time Murray was relatively healthy for a full season in 2021, he threw for 3,787 yards to go along with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 423 yards and five more scores.