Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray wants a contract extension, but the team has chosen to move forward on other fronts before turning to Murray.
The team announced that head coach Kliff Kingsbury and General Manager Steve Keim have both agreed to extensions with the team. Both men are now under contract through the 2027 season.
Kingsbury was hired in 2019 and he has gone 24-24-1 over his first three seasons. The 2021 season ended with Arizona’s first playoff berth since 2015, but they lost to the Rams on the road in the wild card round. The Cardinals missed out on a chance to host a playoff game by going 1-4 in the final weeks of the season, including a Week 18 loss to Seattle that gave the Rams the NFC West title.
Keim has been in the G.M. job since 2013 and he’s been in the Cardinals organization since 1999.
“The leadership of both Steve and Kliff have been key factors in the team’s turnaround over the last three seasons,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement. “We are all looking forward to continuing that progress and recognize these two individuals will be a big part of achieving our long-term goals as an organization.”
It’s not clear what impact the extensions might have on talks with Murray about a new deal, but sticking with the current braintrust doesn’t signal a desire to shake things up in Arizona. Kingsbury’s agent Erik Burkhardt also represents the quarterback, which might be a promising sign for how conversations between the two sides will play out.