Arizona Cardinals

Murray posts cryptic message on IG, Cardinals appear to respond

Published Feb. 14, 2022 11:09 p.m. ET

It's now common knowledge that Cardinals QB Kyler Murray unfollowed the team on social media and removed all Cardinals-related content from his Instagram profile.

The 24-year-old recently cleared his account of all but two posts: one carousel of nine photos of him from this year's Pro Bowl and another of his Heisman Trophy announcement from 2018 during his time at Oklahoma.

Then, on Monday, Murray returned to social media and posted a picture of him in cardinal and white alongside a cryptic message to his 1.3 million followers.

"I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get to this position that believed in me [and] to win championships. All of this nonsense is not what I'm about, never has been, never will be. Anyone who has ever stepped between those lines with me knows how hard I go. Love me or hate me but I'm going to continue to grow and get better," he wrote.

Murray's post comes shortly after it was reported that the Cardinals were looking for their franchise quarterback to take steps forward with his maturity and leadership, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Murray — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft — has been selected to two Pro Bowls (2020, 2021) after being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019.

Now, he is heading into the final year of his rookie contract. Arizona has until May 2 to pick up his fifth-year option. However, Murray is also eligible to negotiate a new deal now that he has completed his third season.

He's currently scheduled to earn a base salary of $965,000 in 2022, but combined with a $4.5 million roster bonus that's fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, Murray will take home about $5.4 million.

It was only a matter of time before Cardinals players spoke on the matter.

Star defensive end J.J. Watt seemingly mocked the drama on social.

Even the Cardinals' official Instagram account joined in on the fun, also deleting all but two photos. Except both of their remaining pictures are of Murray.

What's next?

Seems like the football world will have to follow both Murray and the Cardinals to find out.