Former Arizona Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. recently had some interesting words about his former team.
Murphy, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, recently told Minnesota reporters that he was “just happy to get away from that situation” in Arizona.
“Last year, (was the) first time (of me) actually getting injured, sitting out that many games, kind of brought me back to reality,” he said, via vikingsterritory.com. “I’m here, I’m doing all those things. (I’m) just happy to get away from that situation.”
Murphy, whom the Cardinals drafted with the No. 33 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, was one of the Arizona Cardinals’ key losses in NFL free agency.
He played high school football in the Phoenix area at Scottsdale Saguaro High.
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Murphy had a very productive season in 2021, finishing with 64 tackles, 12 passes defended and four interceptions with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. But a chronic back issue limited him to just nine games in 2022 and aware of that, the Vikings added some injury precaution language into his new contract.
Overall, it’s a two-year deal for $17.5 million with $12.6 million guaranteed and includes $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses and incentives worth up to $2 million per year based on playing time and Pro Bowl and All-Pro designations.
Murphy sounded grateful for the change of scenery after four seasons in Arizona, telling the media that “everything is better” in Minnesota.
“Always thankful for that team, coming from there, but I’m just here now,” Murphy said. “Excited, and happy, this is just better for me. Everything is better.”
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Vikingterritory.com added some interesting context to Murphy’s comments about the Cardinals.
Janik Eckardt wrote: “Notable was Murphy looked around in the direction of the facility with a smile and winked at the reporter during the last sentence. He only played in nine games because of a back injury in 2022. It is well known that the Vikings were the best organization according to the NFL player team report cards, a survey done by the NFL Players Association where players could grade their teams. The Vikings were the best team, and guess who ranked 31st, only trailing the Commanders? Exactly, the Cardinals .”
Ouch.
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Bob McManaman contributed to this story.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Minnesota Vikings’ Byron Murphy Jr. slams the Arizona Cardinals