Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray did not make his 2023 debut until November, and the Arizona Cardinals are treating him with precaution ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters Tuesday that Murray will not play in any of the team's three preseason games.

Murray was recovering from a torn ACL, which is why he made such a late debut last season. He ended up going 3-5 as a starter for a team that finished in last place in the NFC West. It was a disappointing follow-up effort to 2022 when he went 3-8 as a starter.

Still, it wasn't that long ago that Murray was a Pro Bowler in 2021 when he completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 3,787 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 423 yards and five scores on the ground as a runner.

When healthy, he is a proven playmaker who the Cardinals don't have to evaluate in the preseason.

They know he is their starter and will likely continue to be a force opposing defenses have to deal with as they look to make some noise in the NFC West.

Yet the backup quarterback spot is not a surefire thing for Arizona.

By resting Murray during the preseason contests, Gannon and the rest of the coaching staff will have more opportunities to evaluate Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune. Ridder went 8-9 as a starter with 14 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions across the last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, while Tune was a fifth-round pick of Arizona's last year.

Tune saw some action last season and went 12-for-21 for just 62 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

Perhaps Ridder or Tune will impress in preseason games against the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts or Denver Broncos while Murray doesn't play and seize the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.

The NFLPA reportedly has told the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals and sporting apparel company Fanatics that the representatives of Marvin Harrison Jr. do not wish for his jersey to be sold and such sales are not permitted, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Fantatics and Harrison have been embroiled in a legal showdown since May, when the company sued him for an alleged breach of contract.

ESPN's Josh Weinfuss and Adam Schefter reported at the time that the deal between the parties "was for at least $1 million and that the contract was for autographs, signed trading cards, game-worn apparel and other marketing opportunities," with Fanatics saying in the lawsuit that the wideout didn't meet his obligations and publicly denied having any such agreement.

The term sheet between the parties was later unsealed by the New York State Supreme Court in July, confirming that there were two phases to the agreement between the parties but also that "promptly" after agreeing to the terms of the agreement, the parties would "work together in good faith to negotiate an agreement to combine, amend and restate" the original pact.

Regardless of Harrison's dispute with Fanatics, it was expected that Harrison's jersey would be available for purchase after he signed his rookie deal with the Cardinals, since that automatically included him in the NFLPA group licensing agreement.

Harrison, 21, was the No. 4 overall pick by the Cardinals in this year's NFL draft, and is expected to immediately be Kyler Murray's top option in the passing game.

His NFL career has gotten off to a unique start, however, after he completely skipped the NFL Scouting Combine and Ohio State's pro day. Both he and his father, NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harris Sr., were confident that his body of work in college would land him near the top of the first round regardless of the pre-draft process.

"Do we take this precious time in January and February to relax and get ready for a 22-week season, or do you wanna go and beat yourself up, and the best you're gonna do anyway is go four?" Harrison Sr. told Weinfuss in May. "So, we just weighed those options as a family. It's like no matter what you do in this combine or a pro day, what's the best can happen? And it was four."

The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly expecting a full-scale breakout from Kyler Murray this season.

Doug Haller of The Athletic reported members of the Cardinals' coaching staff and locker room "rave about the quarterback's commitment and drive" heading into the 2024 season. Previous questions regarding Murray's maturity and willingness to prepare have subsided, and he's seemingly ready to play the best football of his career.

Murray, the No. 1 pick of the 2019 NFL draft, has been solid but unspectacular over his first five NFL seasons. He's never topped 4,000 yards passing or 30 touchdowns, and he spent most of last season recovering from a torn ACL.

The Cardinals' previous concerns about Murray's work ethic are nothing new. They famously added—and later rescinded—a clause in Murray's five-year, $230.5 million contract extension that required four hours of "independent study" per game week. The clause significantly harmed Murray's public reputation and perception of his work ethic.

Murray has since drawn rave reviews for his work behind the scenes.

Now fully healthy and comfortable in his second year in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's system, Murray has little excuse but to start performing at a Pro Bowl level. Arizona used its first-round pick on Marvin Harrison Jr., a wideout with superstar potential, and James Conner remains an effective back as he approaches his age-29 season.

Add in second-year receiver Michael Wilson and breakout tight end Trey McBride, and Murray has enough talent around him to help elevate the Cardinals back into playoff contention.

"This is ambitious. It's something that has come up a bunch of times when I've interviewed Trey McBride. I've talked to other people with the Cardinals—Paris Johnson as well. They don't think it's crazy to talk about Kyler Murray as a dark horse MVP candidate. They think that it's in Kyler Murray," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero recently said on the Rich Eisen Show.

Murray being an MVP candidate would represent a large step up from his recent performance level, but the Cardinals would certainly settle for him re-establishing himself as a franchise quarterback.

It hasn't taken very long for Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to impress his teammates and coaches.

Despite working with Harrison for less than two months, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon told team reporter Darren Urban that he likes what he's seen so far from the No. 4 pick in April's NFL draft.

"My expectation for him, he meets and exceeds it thus far," Gannon said.

Urban noted that Harrison started OTAs "in the middle in the group of the receivers when it came to the lines for wide receivers drills," but by the team's final offseason workout on Tuesday, he "had graduated to No. 1."

Harrison brought a ton of fanfare upon his arrival to Arizona following his stellar collegiate career at Ohio State in which he was named a unanimous All-American in 2022 and 2023. However, the youngster didn't feed into his newfound fame and focused on establishing himself as a player who could contribute right away for the Cardinals.

"You come in and give respect to people before you no matter where you are drafted," Harrison said. "I didn't want to come in here with a big head."

That type of attitude along with his football acumen as the son of Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison is sure to propel the 21-year-old to a fruitful career in the NFL.

"I know there is evaluation fatigue when it comes to the draft process and they want to nitpick what he can do and what he can't do," Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said of Harrison. "But he's been good at football his whole life. He's been groomed by one of the best, his Pops, Hall of Famer, and there's not much to think about. He plays the game at a high level. It's a new level for him but I have no doubt he'll do his thing this year."

The Arizona Cardinals' No. 4 pick Marvin Harrison Jr. has inked his rookie deal and his jersey will now be for sale, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

By signing his contract, Harrison is now part of the NFL Players Association's licensing agreement, which permits his jersey to be sold. Harrison had not been part of the group before, which kept his jersey off the shelves longer than several other rookies.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Harrison signed a four-year, $35.4 million deal that includes a $22.5 million signing bonus.

Harrison originally did not sign the NFLPA licensing agreement because he was trying to gain leverage to renegotiate his contract with Fanatics, ESPN's Josh Weinfuss reported. Harrison is now reportedly being sued by Fanatics for a breach of contract, as the company alleges he signed a $1 million deal in May 2023, but Harrison's team denies the contract.

While Harrison is still dealing with the lawsuit, his fans will now be able to purchase his jersey weeks after other rookie jerseys hit stores.

A product of Ohio State, Harrison is coming off a season where he notched 1,211 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. The star wide receiver has high expectations surrounding him heading into his rookie year, but he seems more than capable of fulfilling them.

He's looking to help the Cardinals turn things around after going 4-13 and missing the postseason in 2023. With quarterback Kyler Murray healthy and Harrison catching his passes, a playoff appearance seems well within the realm of Arizona's possibilities this season.

The Arizona Cardinals officially have their new No. 1 wide receiver.

Arizona and rookie pass-catcher Marvin Harrison Jr. agreed to his rookie contract on Thursday:

ESPN's Field Yates noted Harrison is the highest-drafted rookie in this year's class to have signed his contract.

The Ohio State product was the No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft and the first non-quarterback taken during the opening round. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Harrison's contract is worth $35.3 million with a $22.5 million signing bonus. The deal also includes a fifth-year option.

If Harrison lives up to expectations, there will surely be no hesitation from the Cardinals to exercise that option down the line.

He was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in his final season with the Buckeyes when he tallied 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was slightly better from a statistical standpoint in 2022 with 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The result was two consecutive All-American honors and the 2023 Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best wide receiver.

Harrison was a familiar name to NFL fans even before he dominated at Ohio State since he is the son of Indianapolis Colts legend and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison. The elder Harrison was a Super Bowl champion and eight-time Pro Bowler who was Peyton Manning's go-to option for years in Indianapolis.

That is quite the legacy to live up to, but Harrison Jr. is arguably the most talented rookie entering the NFL. B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked him as the best overall player in the draft in its final big board, and he ended up in a situation where there will be no shortage of targets in Arizona.

Marquise Brown led all Cardinals wide receivers in receiving yards last season with 574, and he is now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Rondale Moore was third with 352, and he is now on the Atlanta Falcons.

The Cardinals needed an impact wide receiver in the draft, and they came away with a potentially dominant one who figures to be the No. 1 option for quarterback Kyler Murray throughout his rookie campaign.

And now Harrison can get to work fulfilling those expectations since he officially agreed to his first NFL deal.