The Arizona Cardinals just handed their franchise QB one of the biggest deals in NFL history. let’s go deep on the terms of the Cardinals’ new Kyler Murray contract.
Kyler Murray is just 24 years of age. He has played just three NFL seasons. But amid an offseason that felt increasingly tense as the contract extension he publicly desired simply did not appear, the Arizona Cardinals just made a major splash — their franchise QB has officially secured the bag.
Instead of toiling away on his rookie deal, the Pro Bowl quarterback now becomes the No. 2 highest-paid player in the history of the NFL by average annual contract value — surpassing Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson by a hair and trailing only future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers — thanks to the $230 million coming his way over five years as first reported by insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
It’s an eye-popping career breakthrough for the young signal-caller, and another huge money moment in an offseason absolutely full of them. Let’s dive into the details of the Cardinals’ new and massive Kyler Murray contract extension.
Click here to read Boardroom’s overview of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
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Kyler Murray Contract Details & Salary
All dollar figures via Spotrac.
Years: 5
Total value: $230,500,000
Average annual value: $46,100,000
Guaranteed at signing: Not reported
Total guaranteed money: $160,000,000
Free agency: 2028
Remaining salary under current deal:
2022: $29,703,000
Remember when Murray considered playing Major League Baseball? The Oakland A’s still famously control his MLB rights, and as several Twitter denizens have noted, the $46.1 million average annual value of Murray’s deal actually exceeds the A’s entire active payroll as of this writing.
Now, the former Oklahoma Sooners Heisman Trophy winner has set himself up not just to cash in massively, but jump right back into the free agency pool entering 2028, which will still only be his age-31 season.
Kyler Murray’s Career Earnings
CAREER BASE SALARY: $2,020,000
CAREER SIGNING BONUSES: $23,589,924
OTHER BONUSES/INCENTIVES: $4,636,462
TOTAL SALARY EARNINGS THRU 2021 SEASON: $30,246,386
ESTIMATED SALARY EARNINGS THRU 2027 SEASON: $295,938,746
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