Kyler Murray was born in Bedford, Texas and attended Allen High School in Allen, Texas, where he played football and baseball. During his high school career, Murray led the Allen High Eagles to three state titles and a perfect 42-0 record as the starter. During his high school career, Murray accumulated 10,386 and 117 touchdowns passing and 4,139 yards and 69 touchdowns rushing.
Kyler Murray was a five-star recruit and ultimately committed to Texas A&M, where his father, Kevin Murray, previously played quarterback. As a true freshman, Murray lost the starting quarterback job to Kyle Allen and subsequently transferred to Oklahoma to play both football and baseball. He sat out the 2016 season and backed up Baker Mayfield during the 2017 season before taking over the starting quarterback job for the Sooners in 2018. That season, Kyler Murray lit up college football, showcasing his dual threat ability. He passed for 4,361 yards and rushed for 1,001 yards en route to a Heisman trophy.
Murray finished his college career with a 99th percentile 95.8 College QBR and a 99th percentile 11.6 College YPA. After the college football season, Murray continued his baseball career, playing outfield for Oklahoma and batting .296 with 10 homeruns in 226 plate appearances. Murray went on to be selected ninth overall in the 2018 MLB draft and signed a contract to play for the Oakland Athletics. He intended to report to MLB spring training; however, he soon had a change of heart and declared for the 2019 NFL draft.
Murray did not test at the NFL combine. He stands only 5 feet 10 inches, making him one of shortest quarterbacks in the NFL history. His 9 ½ hand size is also below average. Murray showcased his elite athleticism at his Pro Day, however, posting a 4.44 40 time. Murray would go on to be selected with the first overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was immediately installed as the Cardinals starter his rookie season, and finished as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and QB11 in fantasy points per game. Since his rookie season, Murray has been a top five quarterback at the position with fantasy rankings of the QB2 and QB4 in fantasy points per game in 2020 and 2021, respectively. He has displayed the ability to excel throwing the deep ball, posting the best Deep Ball Completion Percentage in the league in 2021. He is also calm under pressure with a top ten ranking in Completion Percentage Under Pressure in 2020 and 2021. Despite playing in Kliff Kingsbury’s “horizontal air raid” offense, Murray also finished in the top 15 among all quarterbacks in Air Yards since 2020.
With Kyler Murray’s rookie contract set to expire after 2022, the Cardinals signed him to a 5-year $230.5M extension during the 2022 season. It was a tumultuous season for the Cardinals, one in which tensions ran high and after which Kingsbury was fired. Murray also tore his ACL on December 12, 2022, and will begin the 2023 season in recovery. 2022 was a down season performance-wise for Murray, but he is still an excellent passer. He finished No. 2 in Accuracy Rating (8.2) and No. 15 in True Passer Rating (86.5). With Jonathan Gannon as their new head coach and the team amassing draft capital for the 2024 season, the Cardinals are rebuilding. They likely will not rush Murray back to action, but when they do, it will be with a redesigned offense and an eye on the future of the franchise.
