“After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addition from the contract,” the Cardinals said in a statement (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). “It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as ever and nothing demonstrates our faith in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract.” 1:25 p.m.: Making Kyler Murray the NFL’s second-highest-paid quarterback, the Cardinals have included a no-study clause in his contract. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport ( on Twitter ), the odd inclusion forces the fourth-year passer to watch at least four hours of film by himself per week during the season. Understandably, this unusual mandate has generated more attention than the five-year, $230.5 million deal itself. Addressing the issue Thursday, Murray said questions about his film study habits are “disrespectful” and “almost a joke,” via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports (all links on Twitter ). “There are many different ways to watch a movie. Of course we all watch movies. That doesn’t need to be disputed,” Murray said, before declining to answer questions related to the movie clause. “I refuse to let my work ethic and preparation be questioned. I’ve put an incredible amount of time into what I do, whether it’s football or baseball.” Murray himself has admitted in the past that he is unlikely to be a top film student among quarterbacks, commenting to the New York Times about his habits. Given his importance to the franchise, this December 2021 stop may well have been a factor for the Cardinals during their offseason negotiations. “I think I was blessed with the cognitive skills to get out there and see it before it happened,” Murray said, via the NYT’s Ben Shpigel, last year. “I’m not one of those guys who’s going to sit there and kill themselves watching a movie. I don’t sit there for 24 hours and break down this team and that team and watch every game because, in my mind, I see so much.” The two-time Pro Bowler declined to say whether he was angry about that aspect of his contract tape, but the Cardinals going so far as to include it in their highest-profile extension reveals at least some level of hesitancy about the dual-threat pass rusher’s commitment. This isn’t the first piece of informal language in a Murray contract. His rookie deal protected the Cardinals from returning to baseball, a sport he was ticketed to play — as a top-10 draft pick by the Oakland Athletics — before his Heisman-winning season in 2018 changed the course of his career. That transition has now led to Murray securing a monster extension — one with $104.3 million guaranteed at signing. It’s certainly interesting that despite reports of resentment between the quarterback and the Cardinals, Murray had to address this issue after the team made this financial commitment. Generally, talk of player-team grievances subsides after big-ticket extension deals. But it’s clear that Murray, who followed fast starts with suboptimal late-season stretches in each of his Pro Bowl years, will have a hard time distancing himself from that history. The Cardinals, who have never authorized a contract remotely close to this neighborhood, are regularly bound by this language as well.
