“Throw darts at the Cleveland Browns” - NFL analyst says Cardinals should blame Deshaun Watson deal for Kyler Murray demands
When the Cleveland Browns traded for Deshaun Watson, they gave up a lot to get him, while giving him a mind-boggling five-year $230 million contract.
OFFICIAL: We have acquired 3-time Pro Bowl QB Deshaun Watson in a trade with the Texans
The Arizona Cardinals are currently in a situation with Kyler Murray that seems to be going south. A few months ago, there were rumors that Murray was frustrated with the organization, but he cleared the air on that situation quickly.
In the last week, there have been rumors that Murray won't play on his current contract.
The #Cardinals have yet to make a contract offer to Pro Bowl QB Kyler Murray, whose agent, Erik Burkhardt, informed the team weeks ago he was pulling his opening proposal off the table, per sources.
Other teams are monitoring closely; Arizona insists Murray won’t be traded.
NFL analyst Kyle Brandt thinks the Cardinals should blame the Browns for the Watson deal in negotiations with Murray. He explained:
"I want to take a Cleveland Browns logo and make a dart board out of it. You know, one of those things that you can throw darts at the Cleveland Browns...Because the Cleveland Browns decided to pay $230 million guaranteed to a guy who hadn’t played in over a year. And every Kyler Murray in the world has his hand out even though you've not played to the level of that guy."
Brandt also pointed out that Murray could potentially be traded in the next two weeks as we approach the draft day.
"Because we're two weeks from the draft, 13 days. And I think there will be calls, and I think there will be texts, and if you're a team who needs a quarterback and is in that quarterback-hungry market...And as the Arizona Cardinals, you have to think, ‘do we love this quarterback? Do we love Kyler Murray?... Do we want a future with him? Or are we thinking maybe this is not the best fit and we want to take those calls? And maybe Kyler Murray ends up being somebody else's problem.”
The Deshaun Watson deal could reset the QB market
When Deshaun Watson signed his five-year $230 million contract, general managers around the league were scratching their heads. They were stunned with how the Browns gave him such a lucrative deal.
Not only was it a deal that made him one of the top-three highest paid quarterbacks, the contract was fully executed. The $230 million guaranteed money was the highest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
Watson doesn't have the best reputation with what's happened in the last year, and he also hasn't played football in over a year.