Kyler Murray has shown enough for the Cardinals to build around him through the 2024 NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals already gave quarterback Kyler Murray a big-money second contract, theoretically tying him to the team for the long run. But it was an old regime that both drafted and extended him, and circumstances have changed.

The contract apparently came with a strange, much-publicized clause involving required individual study time for Murray, which was later dropped once it became public. And, of course, Murray has suffered a major knee injury since that point.

Arizona was expected to be the NFL's worst team this season and now, even after some unexpected wins, has a chance to pick in the top three. That 2024 NFL Draft decision will come down to whether to pass on a quarterback in favor of the one they inherited.

So, has Murray shown the team enough since his return from injury to ensure he is the franchise quarterback?

The most important element of that question is impossible to decipher, because it’s dependent on what Arizona has seen from Murray behind the scenes. The “homework clause” was such big news because it wouldn't exist unless it needed to, people reasoned.

If there is no smoke without fire, the logical conclusion is that the most important player in the building wasn’t watching enough tape on his own, to the point that the team opted to make it a contractual requirement.