Arizona Cardinals
Murray was selected first overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL draft, becoming the shortest quarterback drafted in the first round. When leading Texas Tech's football program, Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said that he would hypothetically spend the draft's top selection on Murray. The pick made Murray the first player to be drafted in the first round of both the NFL and MLB drafts, the first time that two quarterbacks from the same university have gone in the first round in successive seasons after Baker Mayfield was selected first in the 2018 NFL draft and the first quarterback under 6 feet selected number one in an NFL draft. On May 9, 2019, Murray signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $35.2 million with the Cardinals.
Murray played his first NFL game on September 8, 2019, against the Detroit Lions, finishing with 308 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the game ended in a 27–27 tie. Murray led the Cardinals to a comeback in the fourth quarter from a 16-point deficit, joining Jake Plummer as the only Cardinals rookie quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards and two touchdowns since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. During Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, Murray finished with 349 passing yards as the Cardinals lost 23–17. In Week 4 against the Seahawks, Murray threw for 241 yards and a pick-six and rushed four times for 27 yards and his first NFL rushing touchdown in the 27–10 loss. In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Murray threw for 253 yards and rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown in the 26–23 victory. During Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons, Murray threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 32 yards in a narrow 34–33 victory. He was named the National Football Conference (NFC) Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
In Week 10, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Murray threw for 324 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 30–27 loss. In Week 11 against the San Francisco 49ers, Murray threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown in the 36–26 loss. In Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks, Murray threw for 118 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 40 yards before exiting the game due to a hamstring injury. Without Murray, the Cardinals won the game 27–13. Before the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, Murray was listed as a game-time decision with a hamstring injury and ultimately played in the game despite being hurt. During the game, Murray threw for 325 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions during the 31–24 loss. Afterwards, Cardinals' head coach Kliff Kingsbury said that "It's the most proud I've been of him all season."
Murray finished his rookie season with 3,722 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions to go along with 544 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 93 carries and was named a Pro Bowl Alternate. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. At the NFL Honors on February 1, Murray won the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award for his performance during the season. He was ranked 90th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
In Week 1 against the 49ers, Murray finished with 230 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and an interception to go along with 91 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 24–20 win. In Week 2 against the Washington Football Team, Murray passed for 286 yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception to go along with eight carries for 67 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 30–15 victory. During Week 5 against the New York Jets, Murray finished with 380 passing yards, 31 rushing yards, two total touchdowns, and one interception as the Cardinals won 30–10.
On October 14, 2020, Murray was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 5. In Week 7 against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, Murray completed 34 of 48 passes for 360 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception plus ran 14 times for 67 yards and scored a rushing touchdown as the Cardinals beat the previously undefeated Seahawks 37–34 in overtime. Murray was also named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 7. In Week 9, against the Miami Dolphins, he had 283 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 106 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown in the 34–31 loss.
In Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills, Murray passed for 245 yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception to go along with 11 carries for 61 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He helped the Cardinals mount a comeback win in the final seconds; down 26–30, the Cardinals drove down to the Buffalo 43-yard line with 11 seconds to go before Murray scrambled out of the pocket and connected with DeAndre Hopkins, who was surrounded by three Bills defenders, on a Hail Mary pass. The resulting touchdown, dubbed the "Hail Murray", allowed Arizona to win 32–30 and take the division lead in the NFC West. In Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Murray threw for 406 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and rushed for 29 yards and another touchdown during the 33–26 win. Murray's performance in Week 15 earned him the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award, his third of the season.
Murray finished the 2020 season with 3,971 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions to go along with 133 carries for 819 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Murray was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, and although the physical event was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an exhibition game was held online by means of the Madden 21 video game. Murray participated as one of 4 players representing the NFC, and won the match, earning Madden NFL 21 Pro Bowl MVP. He was ranked 39th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
In Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans, Murray threw for 289 yards, four passing touchdowns, and one interception to go along with 20 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown as the Cardinals won 38–13. In Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, Murray finished with 400 passing yards, 31 rushing yards, two interceptions, and four total touchdowns as the Cardinals narrowly won 34–33 due to the Vikings missing a field goal with three seconds left in the fourth quarter. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 2 performance. In Week 4 against the arch rival Rams, Murray passed for 268 yards and two passing touchdowns, winning 37–20 as the Cardinals snapped an 8-game losing streak against the Rams, beating them for the first time since 2016. In Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, Murray threw for 229 yards and four passing touchdowns as the Cardinals won 37–14, improving to a league-best record of 6–0. The win also improved Murray's record to 2–0 against former college teammate Baker Mayfield, having previously beaten Mayfield and the Browns in Week 6 of 2019.
Prior to Week 8, Murray had led the Cardinals to the best record in the NFL at 7–0 before getting injured in the final minute of the Thursday Night Football loss against the Green Bay Packers. It was later reported that he suffered an ankle injury and ended up missing three weeks before returning in Week 13 against the Chicago Bears. In his first game back, Murray had 123 passing yards, 59 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns in the 33–22 win. In Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, Murray threw for 383 yards and two interceptions as the Cardinals lost 30–23. On Christmas Day against the Indianapolis Colts, Murray threw for 245 yards and a passing touchdown and rushed for 74 yards, including a career-long 57-yard run. However, the Cardinals missed two field goals and an extra-point, narrowly losing 22–16 and dropping their third consecutive game, having previously lost to the Lions in Week 15.
In Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys, Murray and the Cardinals bounced back, beating the Cowboys 25–22, with Murray throwing for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Coming into Week 18, the Cardinals were one game back of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West standings, needing a Rams loss and a Cardinals win in order to overtake them. In the season finale against the Seahawks, Murray passed for 240 yards and one touchdown to go with 35 rushing yards. Despite this, the Cardinals lost 38–30, eliminating them from potentially winning the NFC West for the first time since 2015, as the Rams had lost earlier that day to the 49ers.
Murray finished the 2021 regular season with 3,787 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions to go along with 88 carries for 423 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns in 14 games played. Murray also made the Pro Bowl for a second straight season.
On January 17, 2022, Murray made his NFL postseason debut in the Wild Card Round, losing to the Rams 34–11. Murray struggled throughout the game, throwing for just 137 yards, two interceptions, and zero touchdowns, as well as setting a career low in passer rating (40.9). He was ranked 57th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
The Cardinals picked up the fifth-year option on Murray's contract on April 27, 2022. On July 21, 2022, Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension to stay with the Cardinals, with $160 million being guaranteed.
In the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, Murray threw for 193 yards, two touchdowns, and 29 rushing yards. However, the Cardinals defense gave up 44 points, allowing the Chiefs to score touchdowns on their first three drives as the Cardinals dropped their sixth consecutive home game, losing 44–21. In Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Murray and the Cardinals were shutout in the first half, with Murray throwing an interception as the Cardinals trailed 20–0 at halftime. However, Murray erupted in the second half, throwing for 277 yards and a touchdown plus a rushing two-point conversion, along with scoring a rushing touchdown and throwing for a second two-point conversion to tie with 0:00 left in regulation. The Cardinals would go on to win 29–23 in overtime.
In Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers, Murray threw for 207 yards with two touchdowns and an interception to go along with a rushing touchdown as the Cardinals won 26–16. The win also improved Murray's record over former college teammate Baker Mayfield to 3–0. In Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, Murray threw for 204 yards and a touchdown on 20-of-29 passing as the Cardinals won 42–34, snapping an eight-game losing streak at home. In Week 8 against the Vikings, Murray scored his 100th career touchdown, becoming the 12th fastest player to reach that milestone.
In Week 14 against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, Murray suffered a non-contact knee injury in the first quarter. He was carted off the field and did not return. The next day, an MRI revealed that Murray tore his ACL, ending his season. He was placed on injured reserve on December 14, 2022. Murray finished the season with 2,368 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, and 7 interceptions to go along with 88 carries for 418 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns in 11 games played.
Murray began the season with a new head coach, as Jonathan Gannon replaced Kingsbury following a 4–13 record the previous season. Murray started the 2023 season on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list. On October 18, Murray was designated to return from the PUP list. He was activated to the 53-man roster on November 7.
After missing the first nine games of the season, Murray made his season debut against the Falcons on November 12. In his first game in 11 months, he threw for 249 yards, an interception, 33 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown. He also led the Cardinals on a 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a walk-off 23-yard field goal to win 25–23. Against the Houston Texans in Week 12, Murray completed 20-of-30 passes for 214 yards, a touchdown, and one interception. He also ran 51 yards and a rushing touchdown as the Cardinals lost 21–16. On the road against the Steelers in Week 13, Murray completed 13-of-23 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in a 24–10 victory. In Week 17 against the Eagles, Murray rallied the Cardinals from a 15-point halftime deficit to win 35–31, with Murray throwing three touchdown passes in the second half. In the season finale against the Seahawks, Murray led the offense to a season-high 466 yards and finished with a season-best 262 passing yards, but lost 21–20 following two missed field goals late in the fourth quarter.
In the nine games without Murray, the Cardinals' offense ranked 26th, averaging 16.8 points, 289.7 yards per game, and a 1–8 record. In eight games with Murray, the offense averaged 22.4 points, 362.8 yards per game, and was ranked ninth in the league. Despite the identical record from the previous season, Murray expressed that "It's a complete 180" compared to last season and attributed the team's positive cultural shift to the belief and accountability instilled by first-year coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort, stating, "Just to have guys upstairs that believe in it – really speak to it and hold everybody accountable."
In Week 2 against the Rams, Murray completed 17-of-21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns, earning a perfect passer rating as the Cardinals won 41–10. He became the second player in NFL history, and the first since 1974, to achieve a perfect rating with 250+ passing yards and 50+ rushing yards. After back-to-back losses at home, Murray and the Cardinals rebounded, winning three of their next four, with Murray leading a game-winning drive in all three wins and placing the Cardinals atop the Division after Week 8. In Week 10, Murray went 22 for 24 for 266 yards and three total touchdowns in a 31–6 win over the New York Jets, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with 3,851 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and 11 interceptions to go with 78 carries for 572 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Murray and the Cardinals finished with an 8–9 record and missed the postseason.
In Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, Murray suffered a foot injury. He remained in the game, where he went 22 for 31 for 220 yards, but the Cardinals lost 22–21. Murray was ruled out for the next three games. On November 5, 2025, Murray was placed on injured reserve, ruling him out until December. On December 5, it was announced that Murray would miss the remainder of the season.
On March 11, 2026, Murray was released by the Cardinals after seven seasons. Murray finished his Cardinals tenure ranking third in franchise history in passing yards (20,460) and touchdowns (121), and second in completions (1,974).
