Kyler Murray Rumors: Cardinals QB Ripped by Insiders as 'Self-Centered, Immature'

It turns out Kyler Murray's deletion of all remnants of the Arizona Cardinals from his social media may have been meant to send a message after all.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported there is "acrimony" between Murray and the Cardinals, with the quarterback "frustrated" that he's been targeted as the "scapegoat" after Arizona's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Behind the scenes, Murray has reportedly been described as "self-centered, immature and finger pointer."

The Cardinals later responded to Mortensen's report in a statement to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:

Murray hinted at discord in his relationship with the Cardinals after wiping his social media clean after the 2022 Pro Bowl. All that remains on his Instagram are two posts: one from 2018 when he won the Heisman at Oklahoma and a photo dump from this year's Pro Bowl.

While athletes regularly make branding choices with their social media, it seems this was a deliberate move from Murray to send a message to the Cardinals. Arizona went 11-6 during the regular season to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015 but closed with losses in five of its last six games, including a 34-11 blowout loss to the Rams in the Wild Card Round.

Murray turned in one of the worst games of his professional career, throwing for 137 yards and two interceptions while rushing for only six yards on two carries. His QBR of 8.0 was the second-worst single-game effort of his career.

The overwhelming odds suggest the Cardinals and Murray will spend the offseason hashing out their differences. While he hasn't emerged as a transcendent quarterback, Murray has been a dynamic, steady starter for all three seasons in Arizona and doesn't turn 25 until August. 

The Cardinals have Murray under team control through the next two seasons under his rookie contract and could easily stretch that to at least four by using a pair of franchise tags. (Teams have historically avoided using a franchise tag three consecutive years because of the massive financial implications.)

That said, if relationships have reached the point of no return behind the scenes, don't be surprised if there are changes to the coaching staff or roster in an attempt to mend fences.