Arizona Cardinals helmets relaxation alongside the sideline bench earlier than motion towards the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Monetary Discipline, providing a quiet pregame second earlier than kickoff. Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: The gear strains the bench space as gamers put together for the matchup. Necessary Credit score: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports activities.
Corridor of Fame extensive receiver Cris Carter, who spent most of his profession with the Minnesota Vikings, will not be impressed with the Arizona Cardinals as a company. Briefly, he thinks that franchise is “awful.”
A contemporary begin in Minnesota may rewrite your entire Kyler Murray dialog.
Carter has intimate information of the Cardinals’ interworkings as a result of his lifelong pal, Larry Fitzgerald, performed 17 seasons for the franchise. And the curtain peel-back will not be fairly.
The Cardinals’ Mess Provides Context to Murray’s Vikings Arrival
Carter was not afraid to tear the Cardinals.
Minnesota Vikings legends Jake Reed, Jared Allen, and Cris Carter join with younger followers throughout an NFL flag soccer occasion at The Grove, with smiles and interplay highlighting the league’s grassroots outreach efforts on Oct 4, 2024, in Watford, United Kingdom, as former stars assist develop the sport internationally. Necessary Credit score: Kirby Lee-Imagn Pictures.
Carter on ARI
The Corridor of Famer hopped on the Absolutely Loaded Podcast final week and unleashed: “I’m gonna tell you something that you’ve never heard before about the Arizona Cardinals. They have one of the worst ownership groups. They do not know what they’re doing. And I couldn’t say this for a long time because my kid was playing out there — Larry Fitzgerald. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer; now, I can let go. They’re awful. The way they do things is awful. He was lucky to survive his career there.”
“They’re so inconsistent. They have no plan. They have no rhyme. They have no action plan — like what they’re going to do. And — they ruin a lot of good players. Players don’t go to Arizona and become Hall of Famers, typically. They’re fortunate with Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald that they escaped, but they were who they were.”
The humorous half? Most non-Cardinals followers already thought this about Arizona. Carter merely confirmed what mostly consider.
Carter added concerning the Vikings’ new quarterback: “Kyler Murray, to me, could be a Baker Mayfield. He could be a Sam Darnold. He’s got talent. Put it in the right system and support it the right way. He’s played some hell of a football. To keep him healthy and keep him confident — that’s what they need.”
The Murray Angle
Murray is now the Vikings’ quarterback, and since Carter performed for the purple from 1990 to 2001, he has a vested curiosity in Murray’s upcoming stint. It’s nonetheless surprising to course of that the Cardinals offloaded Murray in favor of Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck, whereas paying him to play for the Vikings in 2026.
Arizona Cardinals extensive receiver Marquise Brown takes half in pregame warmups whereas sporting a Essential Catch decal on his helmet on Oct 15, 2023, in Inglewood, California, emphasizing the NFL’s most cancers consciousness initiative forward of a matchup towards the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Alex Gallardo-USA TODAY Sports activities.
If Carter has it proper, Murray could possibly be the product of poor possession, by no means in a position to absolutely take off, as Arizona hasn’t empowered many — exterior of Fitzgerald and Warner — to thrive.
Assume: one man’s trash is one other’s treasure.
NFL Report Playing cards Verify It
Carter isn’t alone together with his evaluation of the Cardinals’ possession and the enterprise. Yearly (though 2026 could possibly be the final, as house owners don’t need them anymore), the NFLPA releases crew report playing cards, with the Cardinals habitually close to the underside.
In 2026, they ranked second-to-last. These are the main points from ESPN:
Therapy of Households: D+Dwelling Recreation Discipline: BFood/Eating Space: C-Nutritionist/Dietician: BLocker Room: F-Coaching Room: D+Coaching Workers: B-Weight Room: D+Energy Coaches: B-Place Coaches: B+Offensive Coordinator: B-Defensive Coordinator: C+Particular Groups Coordinator: BTeam Journey: C+Head Coach: B+Normal Supervisor: BTeam Possession: FOverall Rank: 31
Unusually, the Pittsburgh Steelers completed useless final in general rank this 12 months.
Arizona Sports activities‘ Tyler Drake on the Cardinals’ NFLPA grades: “In previous years, the report cards were posted with details to the NFLPA website and included plenty of breakdowns from team owner to cafeteria. This time around, however, the report cards are now internal after the NFL won a grievance filed against the NFLPA to not make the scores public.”
“Arizona’s locker room amenities have been a primary sore spot since the report cards were first created. They again received an F- in this year’s report card. As for head coach, which was a category added in 2024, Arizona saw no less than a B+ with Jonathan Gannon running the show the past three years. Gannon was fired this offseason and replaced by head coach Mike LaFleur.”
A New Starting for Murray
Murray will get an opportunity to re-prove his standing as a two-time Professional Bowler in Minnesota. He has Kevin O’Connell, broadly generally known as a “quarterback whisperer,” at his aspect, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and the NFL’s third-ranked protection from a season in the past.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray prepares throughout warmups earlier than an NFC Wild Card playoff conflict towards the Los Angeles Rams on Jan 17, 2022, in Los Angeles, California, getting free forward of a high-stakes postseason matchup beneath the intense lights at SoFi Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Michael Chow-Arizona Republic.
Carter claimed Murray may turn into “another Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold,” however the ironic half is that these two quarterbacks had been punchlines earlier than they turned their careers round. Mayfield flamed out of Carolina; so did Darnold. They didn’t have two Professional Bowls like Murray, nor did they boast Murray’s effectivity and quantity stats by seven seasons.
Whereas Mayfield and Darnold wanted full-scale profession reclamation, Murray merely must be himself and proceed his manufacturing from Arizona — and keep wholesome.
