Murray dismisses 'nonsense' reports of rift with Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals might believe Kyler Murray needs to grow as a leader, but the quarterback sees no problem with his approach to the game.

Murray issued a statement Monday defending his professionalism, seemingly responding to a report that some members of the Cardinals see him as self-centered, immature, and a finger-pointer.

"I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get into this position that believed in me, and to win championships," he wrote in a Twitter post. "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 grow and get better."

Rumors surfaced Sunday that Murray is upset with the Cardinals for framing him as the scapegoat for their blowout playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Arizona, meanwhile, reportedly wants its passer to focus on his maturity and on-field body language, among other traits.

Speculation about a potential rift between Murray and the Cardinals arose after the quarterback scrubbed his Instagram account of team-related content.

Arizona denied any issues with Murray in a statement Sunday.

"Nothing has changed regarding our opinion and high regard for Kyler Murray. We, as a team, and Kyler, individually, have improved each year he's been in the league. We are excited to continue that improvement in 2022 and are excited that Kyler Murray is the quarterback leading us," the team said.

Murray played at an MVP level during Arizona's 7-0 start to the campaign, but the NFC West team suffered a second straight late-season collapse; the Cardinals backed into the playoffs after losing six of their last eight contests.

Murray, 24, is eligible for a contract extension after completing his third pro season.