On the night of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals made a blockbuster trade with the Baltimore Ravens.
That trade was for wide receiver Marquise Brown, a former teammate of Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
The trade would mark the second time in 2022 that a college QB/WR duo would be reunited.
The first came when Davante Adams went to Las Vegas to play with his former college quarterback, Derek Carr.
However, with this trade, and Murray previously in contract disputes with Arizona, was Brown brought over to keep Murray in Arizona?
It makes sense with them getting him his former teammate that he wanted in 2019 when they were both in the NFL Draft.
From what I’ve been told, Kyler Murray and Hollywood Brown really wanted to play together again. They were teammates at Oklahoma.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) April 29, 2022
But was their move made to keep him in Arizona?
Cardinals Picked Up Murray’s Fifth-Year Option Right Before The Draft Started
Before the Cardinals picked up Murray’s fifth-year option, the two were at an end road with contract talks.
The star quarterback wanted more money, while the Cardinals weren’t making an offer to him.
However, the team moved to pick up his fifth-year option before the 2022 NFL Draft started.
The move gives him just under $30 million for the 2023 season.
It also allowed the Cardinals to trade for Brown and have both players on the roster for 2022.
But Murray, taking the deal a day before the Brown trade, could signal he wanted something in return for that extension.
It also puts the team in a position where they might need to give both players long-term contracts next year.
The Cardinals are going to have to keep Brown long term now right? If you get Kyler Murray’s best friend, according to all these ppl on Twitter at least, he’s going to be pissed off if you end up letting him walk. You don’t want your franchise qb upset with the team
— Tgriff1010 (@tgriff1010) April 29, 2022
However, if both players want to stay in Arizona, they might work something out together so the Cardinal can afford them both.
It might be awhile before fans can see the next chapter in the contract talks saga with these two players.
Brown Gives Murray Familiar Face And Another Offensive Weapon
The addition of Brown gives Murray another target along with current receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
While his addition could have been to keep their quarterback around, it also helps them add to their offensive weapons.
When Murray and Brown were teammates in 2018, they had a 12-2 record with the Oklahoma Sooners.
The star quarterback passed for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Brown had 1,318 receiving yards and ten touchdowns on 75 receptions.
With the pair reunited, Arizona hopes to revive the magic these two had in Oklahoma.
Does Adding Brown To Cardinals Roster Make The Super Bowl Contenders?
Adding Brown energizes an offense that was battered during the later stages of the 2021 season.
However, the Cardinals need to work in other areas to become Super Bowl contenders in 2022.
The first is making sure their star players stay healthy.
Arizona’s defense started falling off after the injury J. J. Watt suffered in week seven.
They also didn’t see Murray return to his MVP run form after coming back from an injury he suffered.
Hopkins also missed time with an injury in 2021.
So if the Cardinals want to contend in 2022, they need all these star players at 100% health for the season.
