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The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray started 2021 hot but then began to slide later in the season. Their season came to an abrupt end in the WildCard Round at the hands of the LA Rams, who are partaking in the Super Bowl this weekend.
Murray made his second-straight Pro Bowl this season, and the team was expected to pick up his fifth-year option and start working to improve the team for next year. Instead, Murray dropped a bit of a bombshell this week by scrubbing his social media of all things related to the Cardinals.
On the back of this controversy comes further unsettling news, with Christian Kirk hinting that he may also look to move on from the Cardinals as well, depending on what happens with Murray.
Christian Kirk may follow Murray if he leaves Cardinals
No one knows if Kyler Murray is going to remain with the team through the 2022 season, but his recent actions have caught fire in the headlines.
Wide receiver Christian Kirk and former Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald were asked about the possible tension between the team and the quarterback. Fitzgerald, as always, was the bringer of peace with his response:
"I haven't talked to Kyler in awhile...he looked good in the Pro Bowl...I just hope everything works out the way both sides want it to work out. I love Kyler, I love the Cardinals. I just want the best for everybody."
Christian Kirk, Murray's current teammate and a pending free-agent, had a bit of a different response:
The guy's doing what he needs to do, I have no control over that. That's all I'll say on that one.
A reporter asked if fans are overreacting to the news of Murray cleaning house on social media and Kirk downplayed it for the most part:
"If I'm not reacting to it, I don't think anyone else should...his decisions are his decisions...I have been off of social media but I hear the noise...I'm gonna keep off social media and just enjoy my offseason"
There was another aspect of Kirk's reaction that was not captured in the video clip, but it was reported by Sports Illustrated.
Kirk hyped up his close friend as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and would love nothing more than to continue playing with him. He went on to state that "it'll definitely have a deciding factor" in his off-season plans.
It's unclear if there is an issue with a contract extension, or the front office, but there is definitely something brewing in the Valley. Losing Kirk will hurt the offense, but losing Murray as well might take Arizona out of contention altogether. This will be one of the top stories to track heading into the offseason.
