National Football League

Kyler Murray on Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals’ potential: ‘Sky’s the limit’

Published Jun. 20, 2024 10:54 a.m. ET

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Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Entering his sixth NFL season, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray isn't shying away from lofty goals.

"Every year it's to win a Super Bowl," Murray told reporters at minicamp. "I don't play for any other reason." 

The 26-year-old signal-caller is one of only five players left on Arizona's roster since the team selected him No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft, joining safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson, pass-rusher Dennis Gardeck and long snapper Aaron Brewer.

Now healthy after rehabbing from ACL surgery that limited him to eight games last season, Murray says he's locked in and ready to blossom in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's scheme.

"There's definitely a juice around this team, a camaraderie around this team," Murray said. "Since I got here, I was usually playing with a lot of older guys. This is the first time I feel like I'm kind of an older guy. 

"That's no knock with playing with older guys, but when you're playing with guys around your age, it's easier to jell. … I don't think people take into account how much that matters, but we can kind of grow together." 

One of those players Murray will grow with is first-round selection Marvin Harrison Jr. The QB has worked to establish a rapport with the Heisman Trophy-winning receiver, who looked the part in offseason work, according to Murray. 

"He's been good at football his whole life," Murray said about Harrison. "He's been groomed by one of the best, his pops [Marvin Harrison Sr.], obviously a Hall of Famer.

"I have no doubt he'll go and do his thing this year and win whenever he wants to. He's going to be that type of guy. I know how much he loves the game if you're just sitting there talking to him. His energy, and what he's going to mean to the team, I think everybody should be excited about him." 

For his part, Harrison said the biggest adjustment in making the jump from college to the NFL so far has been learning Arizona's thick playbook.

"The game is still the game," Harrison told reporters last week. "You still play football. It's the same game you've been playing since you were young. Nothing really changes. Obviously, there's greater talent playing at the next level. But I would really say it's learning a different playbook.

"Coming from Ohio State and having the same playbook for the last three years, your third year you kind of know it like the back of your hand. Right now, you're just kind of starting that process." 

Cardinals receiver Michael Wilson said Murray has been throwing to Arizona's pass-catchers every weekend, working to build chemistry that will pay off on game days. 

"We've been throwing at different high schools," said Wilson, who had 38 catches for 565 yards and three TDs as a rookie last season. "Sometimes he'll text me at 8 o'clock the night before and ask me, ‘Can you go tomorrow at 10?' And I'm like, ‘You just let me know.' I stayed here pretty much every weekend throughout OTAs specifically so I could train with K1."

Wilson recently got engaged to Portland Thorns and USWNT star Sophia Smith, whom he met at Stanford. But he's been working on a different relationship this offseason.

"I told my girlfriend, 'I'm not coming to Portland during the weekend. I'm staying here so we can work on my relationship with Kyler,'" he said. "It's really been amazing. I can't even articulate how awesome it's been." 

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon sees Murray reaching another gear in his first full offseason working in Petzing's offense. And Gannon believes that will translate into success as the Cardinals look to reach the postseason for the first time since 2021. 

"I'm not going to hide my excitement," Gannon said. "It's awesome to see him lead the offense, lead the team. Be in there with his teammates, ask really good questions. Get held accountable just like everyone and take it on the chin, just like everybody else does.

"I love that about him, and that's because he's competitive as all get-out. So, I coach him. And he gets coached just like the rookie receiver making a mistake. And he likes that. He welcomes that. He wants that. It's going to be an interesting year for him." 

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Murray compared how he feels now with how he felt heading into his junior season at Oklahoma, when he won the Heisman. 

"Going into this season, I feel just really locked into what we're doing," he said. "For me, [it's] confidence and knowing where to go with the ball no matter what they're doing, because I've been in the system a year. 

"And when you feel like that, the sky's the limit."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

Main photo courtesy of Arizona Cardinals.

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