Kingsbury, Cardinals players aren't stressing over 'study time' clause in Murray contract

It’s been called everything from “bonkers” to “alarming” to “embarrassing” and “bizarre” along with a handful of more colorful adjectives that aren’t suitable for publication.

Anybody who’s anybody, especially those connected with the NFL it appears, has something to say about the unprecedented clause in Kyler Murray’s $230.5 million contract extension that requires the quarterback to spend at least four hours per week on “Independent Study” time or risk defaulting on $100 million-plus in guaranteed salary.

That addendum was written into the deal and agreed upon by both parties, something which has sparked all sorts of concern, conjecture and speculation about Murray, his study habits, and the entire Cardinals’ organization as well.

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Addressing the issue publicly for the first time on Tuesday, as the Cardinals officially reported to training camp, head coach Kliff Kingsbury indicated he didn’t think it was a big deal. He said that upon being asked if he’s ever worried about Murray not studying enough game film on his team-provided Microsoft tablet.

“I have not,” Kingsbury said at the Wigwam Resort, where the Cardinals will stay when they’re not on the practice fields at State Farm Stadium in nearby Glendale. “When I watched what he’s done since he got here, the first year and his development in all areas, all he’s done is gotten dramatically better each and every year. That’s what I judge it by.

“There’s a handful of quarterbacks you can with the Super Bowl with in this league and we feel like he’s one of them, and I wouldn’t want to work with anybody else.”

Asked if the study time clause, now that it’s out in the open, makes him uncomfortable in any way, Kingsbury said:

“No, because my man’s got a quarter of a billion dollars so you can only be upset for so long, I guess. Negotiations are negotiations, everybody has their things and wants different stuff. I’m just thrilled that this young man got what I felt he deserves.”

Others around the league have their own opinions, especially as it relates to the study time addendum and how it could possibly default Murray’s guaranteed salary.

Joe Banner, a former NFL front office executive who spent 21 seasons with the Eagles, Browns and Falcons, said there is “no room for interpretations or spin” about how the franchise views its young franchise quarterback.

“Arizona wouldn’t put it in the contract for the world to see if they didn’t feel his work ethic (or lack thereof) distracts from the team,” Banner wrote in a piece for NFL website the33rdteam.com “If we believe actions speak louder than words, then the decision to include this language sends a clear message: Murray’s lack of preparation will no longer be tolerated. The Cardinals must think this issue is affecting his performance to a significant degree.”

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Former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon chimed in with his own thoughts for the 33rd team.

“Great quarterbacks take care of their business all season long and something is off in Murray’s preparation,” Gannon wrote. “If the Cardinals are indicating that Murray is not the best when it comes to his commitment in the classroom, what does this say about his commitment to the weight room, or to any other piece of his individual preparation?”

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Murray, who turns 25 on Aug. 7, isn’t a bum or a bust. Since winning three straight football championships in high school back in Texas, he won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma is his only full season of college football, was named NFL Rookie of the Year and has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the past two seasons.

The Cardinals have improved in all three seasons with Murray at the helm, going 5-10-1 in 2019 to 8-8 in 2020 and 11-6 and returning to the playoff last season. According to tight end Zach Ertz, who joined the team at midseason a year ago, there’s never been a question as to how much Murray has been in full control of the offense.

“Kyler’s knows the playbook better than anyone on this team,” Ertz said Tuesday. “He’s been in this system for a long period of time. Ultimately, I’m happy that he signed a deal that he’s happy about. … He seemed like he’s in a really good place mentally today and he seemed like he’s been in a real good place all offseason, in my opinion.

“… The addendum is what it is, but in my opinion, Kyler knows the playbook inside and out. When I first got here last year, he was the guy that was helping me along and ultimately, I got to be on the same page as him. … No matter what the contract says and the language, he’s happy and that’s all that matters to me.”

Cardinals All-Pro safety Budda Baker said it doesn’t bother him as a teammate that such language was crafted into Murray’s mega contract extension.

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“No,” he said Tuesday. “For me, I know that K1 is a hard worker. Guys are all different. Some guys like to stay at the facility and watch film. They watch film in their big rooms. Some guys like to watch film at home, to be by themselves.

“Everybody’s different, but I’m definitely excited for K1. He’s going into another year, he just got paid so everything is good. All he thinks about is football anyway, so I’m very excited to see what he can do this year.”

Murray’s extension also includes a clause that triggers a default to his guaranteed money should he have any involvement with organized baseball. A first-round pick by the A’s in 2018, he cannot participate in a tryout, workout, practice, scrimmage, exhibition or game for any baseball team in any baseball league.

As for monitoring Murray’s mandatory four hours of weekly study time, Kingsbury said he’s never felt the need to track a player’s progress on their tablets.

“I don’t. They don’t track mine,” Kingsbury said, adding, “These guys are professionals. They know how to get themselves ready for a game. They know what to watch, what they need to watch personally, so I’ve never tracked it.”

When it comes to how many hours a player should be studying game film and other content the Cardinals provide daily to their players, Kingsbury said, “I’m big on to each his own.”

“If you’re just watching it to watch it, just to log minutes and hours, then it’s not doing you any good,” he added. “But these guys, we’ve got some real pros that have an approach and whether it’s as long as another guy, timewise, it doesn’t matter to me at all. You do what you need to do to get ready. It’s a results-oriented business and they know that at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all judged by.”

Have an opinion on the Arizona Cardinals? Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com and follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac. Listen to him live on Fox Sports 910-AM every Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 on Calling All Sports with Roc and Manuch. 

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kingsbury, Cardinals players praise Kyler Murray's work ethic