Cardinals receiver Christian Kirk addresses Kyler Murray controversy

Christian Kirk stuck up for teammate Kyler Murray amid a tense situation with the Arizona Cardinals. With some reports accusing the quarterback of being a “bad teammate,” Kirk came to his defense and put that notion to rest.

“He’s a great friend of mine and he’s always treated me well and teammates around him well,” Kirk said via TMZ Sports. “Every time he steps on the field, he wants to win. I believe he deserves everything that he’s earned and that he has coming.”

Christian Kirk finished this past season as one of the top targets for Kyler Murray, recording 982 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Rumors are swirling that the receiver could go elsewhere in 2022, however, after he was seen vacationing with Bills quarterback Josh Allen last month.

For Murray, who is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract next season, the situation is simple. He believes he has proved himself worthy of a contract extension, something he would like to see happen prior to the NFL Draft. The Cardinals have hesitated to pull the trigger, citing questions about his maturity and leadership following a wild card round exit in the playoffs.

Arizona owes its star quarterback $965,000 in base salary, plus another $5,897,481 in signing bonus next season. However, after the 2022 season, the Cardinals have the option to pick up his fifth-year team option.

Murray’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, shared a statement on the quarterback’s behalf last week in which he laid out what the two-time Pro Bowler is seeking from the franchise.

“To overtly communicate Kyler’s desire to be the Cardinals long term QB, we sent a detailed contract proposal to the organization, the statement read. “It was important to Kyler that his proposal reflected all of the following: provides financial protection, is in line with the current QB market that compares his results alongside relevant comps, lowers his 2022-23 salary cap number to allow the Cardinals to re-sign other deserving teammates and add additional free agents, and most importantly represents a real commitment from the organization to see if their ultimate goals align with his two above.”

It seems inevitable that the two sides will eventually reach an agreement, as Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell is firm on keeping Murray as the team’s long-term quarterback. However, with the team having him locked up for the next two seasons, it appears likely that the extension talks will be dragged out a bit longer.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this report.