Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray's discontent with Arizona Cardinals continues

Updated Mar. 5, 2022 6:45 p.m. ET

Kyler Murray's agent addressed the Arizona Cardinals in a strongly worded, entirely capitalized letter Monday afternoon conveying a simple sentiment: actions speak louder than words.

The message from Murray's camp marked the latest development in a months-long spat between the Pro-Bowler and Arizona management regarding a new contract — Murray is entering the final season of his top-value rookie contract worth nearly $9 million annually.

But in a recent report, NFL insider Michael Silver struggled to understand Murray’s actions, questioning why the ex-Sooner began the dustup so soon into the offseason.

"What baffles me — and many Cardinals sources I’ve spoken to this week — is why Murray felt compelled to do this in February and March," Silver said.

Questions around Kyler’s contentment in Arizona emerged in the closing minutes of their unceremonious exit from the playoffs against the Rams in January. Murray reportedly benched himself in the final minutes of the Cardinals’ season-ender at SoFi and has since unfollowed the Cardinals on social media and cleared his profiles of any affiliation with the team.

But the timing of the outcry is peculiar, according to Silver.

"The best time to apply pressure on a team, in theory, is right before the season approaches — when it’s essentially too late to come up with a legitimate Plan B," Silver wrote. "And if Murray’s goal is to get out of Arizona, well, thus far that’s not happening. As of Tuesday, not a single team had reached out to Keim to inquire about the possibility of trading for Murray. Granted, the response almost certainly would have been, ‘Don’t bother; we’re not trading him.’ Yet it seems strange that no one has at least asked the question, and I can’t imagine there won’t be overtures in the coming weeks."

Colin Cowherd weighed in on Murray’s contact controversy Friday on "The Herd," asserting that the timing and dynamics of the situation distinguish it from most other contract disputes.

"This thing is uglier than you think," Cowherd said. "With Kyler Murray, there are some troubling things here. He’s an odd personality and sometimes immature with scrubbing social media."

Murray is also reportedly distant from the Arizona locker room in the offseason and has enjoyed surprisingly little support from his team in the offseason’s ugliest contract negotiation.

"None of his teammates are coming to his defense," Cowherd said. "None of them. Myles Garrett, a week ago, is like, ‘I’m a Baker Mayfield guy.’ That helps, that adds value. These are the signs."

Cowherd believes that at this point, missing time with the team wouldn't be farfetched when it comes to Murray.

"I think a holdout is possible," Cowherd said "I never felt that with Dak [Prescott], I don’t feel that with Baker [Mayfield], I don’t feel that with Lamar [Jackson]. This one … it’s a coin flip.

"I’d be concerned if I was Arizona."