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Kyler Murray

Murray with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020

No. 1 – Arizona Cardinals

Position:

Quarterback

Personal information

Born:

August 7, 1997 (age 27)
Bedford, Texas, U.S.

Height:

5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)

Weight:

207 lb (94 kg)

Career information

High school:

Allen (Allen, Texas)

College:

Texas A&M (2015)
Oklahoma (2016–2018)

NFL Draft:

2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1

Career history

Arizona Cardinals (2019–present)

Roster status:

Active

Career highlights and awards

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2019)
2× Pro Bowl (2020, 2021)
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2019)
Heisman Trophy (2018)
Davey O'Brien Award (2018)
Manning Award (2018)
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award (2018)
AP College Football Player of the Year (2018)
First-team All-American (2018)
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (2018)
First-team All-Big 12 (2018)

Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024

Passing attempts:	2,780
Passing completions:	1,864
Completion percentage:	67.1%
TD–INT:	115–57
Passing yards:	19,498
Passer rating:	92.4
Rushing yards:	3,020
Rushing touchdowns:	31

Player stats at PFR

Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback. He plays for the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the NFL, Kyler played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and the Oklahoma Sooners. As a junior at Oklahoma, he won the famous Heisman Trophy.

In 2019, the Cardinals picked Kyler first overall in the 2019 NFL draft. He was also picked ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics in the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft in 2018. This made him the first player ever to be drafted in the first round of both football and baseball. In his first NFL season, Kyler was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He also set several new records for rookie quarterbacks with the Cardinals. He has been chosen for the Pro Bowl twice and led the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2021.

Early Life and High School Success

Kyler Murray was born in Bedford, Texas. His parents are Kevin Murray and Misun Henderson. He went to Allen High School in Allen.

High School Football Achievements

In 2014, Kyler was a senior. He won the Gatorade Football Player of the Year award. He was also the first player to win the Mr. Texas Football award twice. His high school team won three state championships in a row. They also won 43 games without losing. Kyler was the starting quarterback for 42 of those wins. He never lost a game he started in high school.

Experts like ESPN thought Kyler was a top player. They ranked him as a five-star recruit. He was considered the best dual-threat quarterback in his class. In 2014, he decided to play college football and baseball at Texas A&M University.

High School Football Stats

Here are Kyler's high school football stats:

Season	Passing						Rushing
Season	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2012	153	249	61.4	2,004	17	5	188	1,370	7.3	25
2013	207	325	63.7	3,669	46	9	151	1,274	8.4	19
2014	278	433	64.2	4,713	54	8	151	1,495	9.9	25
Total	638	1,007	63.4	10,386	117	22	490	4,139	8.4	69

High School Baseball Talents

Kyler was also a great baseball player. Many thought he would be a top pick in the 2015 MLB draft. He played shortstop and second baseman in high school. He was the first person ever picked for both the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game and the Under Armour All-America Football Game.

College Career Highlights

Kyler Murray played both football and baseball in college.

College Football Journey

Texas A&M University

Murray after his first win at Texas A&M, 2015

In 2015, Kyler was a freshman at Texas A&M. He competed to be the starting quarterback. He played as a backup at first. Later in the season, he became the starter. In his first start, he threw for 223 yards and ran for 156 yards. He scored one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. This made him one of only two quarterbacks in the SEC to do this in their first start. After a few games, he went back to being a backup.

Oklahoma University

In December 2015, Kyler decided to transfer to the University of Oklahoma. He had to sit out the 2016 season because of NCAA rules.

2017 Season as Backup

In 2017, Kyler was the backup quarterback for Baker Mayfield. He played in some games when Mayfield needed a break. He showed his skills by throwing for touchdowns and running for many yards. In one game, he started because Mayfield had to sit out. He threw for 52 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 80 yards.

2018 Heisman Trophy Season

Murray with Oklahoma in 2018

In 2018, Kyler became the starting quarterback for Oklahoma. He had an amazing season. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 42 touchdowns. He also ran for over 1,000 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. In December 2018, Kyler won the Heisman Trophy. This award goes to the best college football player in the country. Oklahoma had two Heisman winners in a row! Kyler led Oklahoma to win the Big 12 Championship. They also made it to the College Football Playoff.

College Football Statistics

Here are Kyler's college football stats:

Season	Games			Passing								Rushing
Season	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
Texas A&M Aggies
2015	8	3	2–1	72	121	59.5	686	5.7	5	7	109.2	53	335	6.3	1
Oklahoma Sooners
2016	Did not play due to NCAA transfer rules
2017	7	1	1–0	18	21	85.7	359	17.1	3	0	276.5	14	142	10.1	0
2018	14	13	11–2	260	377	69.0	4,361	11.6	42	7	199.2	140	1,001	7.2	12
Career	29	17	14–3	350	519	67.4	5,406	10.4	50	14	181.3	207	1,478	7.1	13

College Baseball Career

Kyler also played baseball for Oklahoma. In 2017, he played left fielder. In 2018, he played centerfielder. He had a good season, hitting 10 home runs and stealing 10 bases.

Even though Kyler wanted to play football, the Oakland Athletics picked him in the 2018 MLB draft. He signed a contract with them. But after winning the Heisman Trophy in football, he decided to focus on the NFL draft instead.

Professional Football Career

Joining the NFL

In January 2019, Kyler announced he would enter the 2019 NFL draft. He decided to focus only on football. Some people worried about his height for an NFL quarterback. At the NFL Combine, he measured 5 feet 10 and 1/8 inches tall. This was similar to other successful quarterbacks like Russell Wilson.

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand size	Wonderlic
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in (1.78 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	28+1⁄2 in (0.72 m)	9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m)	20
All values from NFL combine

Murray at the 2019 NFL draft

The Arizona Cardinals picked Kyler first overall in the 2019 NFL draft. This made him the shortest quarterback ever picked first. He was also the first player drafted in the first round of both the NFL and MLB. On May 9, 2019, Kyler signed his first contract with the Cardinals. It was worth $35.2 million over four years.

Rookie Season (2019)

Kyler played his first NFL game on September 8, 2019. He threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns. The game ended in a 27–27 tie. He led the Cardinals to come back from a 16-point deficit. In Week 6, he threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 32 yards in a close 34–33 win. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this game.

Kyler finished his rookie season with 3,722 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns. He also ran for 544 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He was named a Pro Bowl Alternate. He also won the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. His fellow players ranked him 90th among the top 100 NFL players of 2020.

Second Season (2020)

Murray with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020

In Week 1, Kyler led the Cardinals to a 24–20 win. He had 230 passing yards and 91 rushing yards. In Week 7, on Sunday Night Football, Kyler threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 67 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals beat the undefeated Seattle Seahawks in overtime. He won NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice in 2020.

In Week 10, Kyler made a famous play called the "Hail Murray". With seconds left, he threw a long pass to DeAndre Hopkins for a touchdown. This helped the Cardinals win 32–30. Kyler finished the 2020 season with 3,971 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns. He also had 819 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl for the first time.

Third Season (2021)

In Week 1, Kyler threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown in a 38–13 win. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 2. In Week 4, the Cardinals beat their rivals, the Rams, 37–20. This ended an 8-game losing streak against them. In Week 6, Kyler threw for four touchdowns as the Cardinals improved to a 6–0 record.

Kyler led the Cardinals to a 7–0 record, the best in the NFL. But he got injured in Week 8 and missed three weeks. He returned in Week 13 and helped the team win. Kyler finished the 2021 season with 3,787 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns. He also ran for 423 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row. In the playoffs, the Cardinals lost to the Rams.

Fourth Season (2022)

In April 2022, the Cardinals kept Kyler for another year. In July 2022, he signed a big five-year contract extension. It was worth $230.5 million. In Week 2, Kyler led an amazing comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Cardinals were down 20–0 at halftime. Kyler helped them tie the game and win in overtime.

In Week 8, Kyler scored his 100th career touchdown. This made him one of the fastest players to reach that milestone. In Week 14, Kyler suffered a serious knee injury. He tore his ACL, which ended his season. He finished the season with 2,368 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns in 11 games.

Fifth Season (2023)

Kyler started the 2023 season on the injured list while recovering from his knee injury. He returned to play in Week 10 against the Falcons. In his first game back in 11 months, he threw for 249 yards and a rushing touchdown. He led the Cardinals to a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

Kyler played eight games in 2023. The team's offense improved a lot when he was playing. He finished the season with 1,799 passing yards and 10 passing touchdowns. He also ran for 244 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

Sixth Season (2024)

Murray's helmet and jersey in his locker at State Farm Stadium in 2024

In Week 2, Kyler had a perfect passer rating against the Rams. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He became only the second player in NFL history to have a perfect rating with over 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards. In Week 10, he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week again. He finished the season with 3,851 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and 572 rushing yards. The Cardinals finished with an 8–9 record and missed the playoffs.

NFL Career Statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	Games			Passing									Rushing					Sacked		Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
2019	ARI	16	16	5–10–1	349	542	64.4	3,722	6.9	88	20	12	87.4	93	544	5.8	35	4	48	309	5	2
2020	ARI	16	16	8–8	375	558	67.2	3,971	7.1	80	26	12	94.3	133	819	6.2	48	11	27	176	9	4
2021	ARI	14	14	9–5	333	481	69.2	3,787	7.9	77	24	10	100.6	88	423	4.8	57	5	31	286	13	0
2022	ARI	11	11	3–8	259	390	66.4	2,368	6.1	38	14	7	87.2	67	418	6.2	42	3	25	192	8	2
2023	ARI	8	8	3–5	176	268	65.7	1,799	6.7	48	10	5	89.4	44	244	5.5	33	3	18	119	7	0
2024	ARI	17	17	8–9	372	541	68.8	3,851	7.1	60	21	11	93.5	78	572	7.3	50	5	30	220	8	4
Career		82	82	36–45–1	1,864	2,780	67.1	19,498	7.0	88	115	57	92.4	503	3,020	6.0	57	31	179	1,302	50	12

Postseason Stats

Year	Team	Games			Passing									Rushing					Sacked		Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
2021	ARI	1	1	0–1	19	34	55.9	137	4.0	23	0	2	40.9	2	6	3.0	7	0	2	15	0	0
Career		1	1	0–1	19	34	55.9	137	4.0	23	0	2	40.9	2	6	3.0	7	0	2	15	0	0

Cardinals Team Records

Kyler Murray holds several records for the Arizona Cardinals:

Most games started by a rookie quarterback – 16
Most pass completions by a rookie – 349
Most pass attempts by a rookie – 542
Highest completion percentage by a rookie – 64.4%
Most passing yards by a rookie – 3,722
Most passing touchdowns by a rookie – 20
Highest passer rating by a starting rookie – 87.4
Most yards per game by a rookie – 232.6
Most wins by a rookie quarterback – 5
Most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback – 544
Most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback – 4
Most rushing yards per game by a rookie quarterback – 34.0
Lowest interception percentage in a career – 2.1%
Highest completion percentage in a career – 67.1%
Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a career – 3,020
Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a career – 31

About Kyler's Life

Kyler Murray is a third-generation Korean American. His grandmother on his mother's side is from South Korea.

Kyler is a Christian. His father, Kevin Murray, was also a quarterback at Texas A&M. His uncle, Calvin Murray, played professional baseball. Kyler's cousin, Devin Duvernay, is a wide receiver in the NFL.

Kyler enjoys playing chess. He says it helps him with football. He even won school chess tournaments when he was younger. He also loves video games and has partnered with Call of Duty.