As the Kyler Murray camp’s draft deadline for an extension approaches, the Cardinals continue to sit tight. The team has the Pro Bowl quarterback under contract through 2023, via the fifth-year option that will be exercised, and does not plan to let this saga devolve into an early divorce.

Steve Keim said Thursday a “zero percent” chance exists Murray will be traded, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (on Twitter). This is fine by Murray, who soon added he wants to “win Super Bowls with the Cardinals” and indicated (via Twitter) he does not wish to be traded. While the situation could become contentious at some point, we do not appear to be there yet. Michael Bidwill soon tripled down here.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Bidwill said of a Murray trade (via the Arizona Republic’s Kent Somers, on Twitter). “There’s just too much outside noise that people listen to. We understand that’s just part of what goes on these days with social media. It’s just not the case.”

Murray’s camp has pushed for an extension ahead of the draft, after which other teams will make high-profile quarterback investments and close off potential trade routes. But Murray’s Thursday tweet downplays any interest the two-time Pro Bowler has of landing his eventual extension elsewhere. Keim added that quarterback extensions are often done after the draft (via Urban, on Twitter).

Recent extensions for quarterbacks seeking second contracts on normal trajectories — as opposed to Dak Prescott‘s re-up at the 2021 franchise tag deadline — have occurred after the draft. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz and Jared Goff signed their initial extensions in the summer. The Cardinals may well be planning to follow suit. The team is not certain to extend Murray this year, potentially viewing the season as a proving ground for a talented player whose performance has tailed off in each of his Pro Bowl campaigns. Wentz and Goff’s extensions backfiring on the Eagles and Rams, respectively, may well impact the Cardinals’ timetable. But Murray’s camp will surely attempt to force the issue before training camp.

A report last week indicated the Cardinals had yet to make an offer, and Murray may be realizing no extension will be finalized before the draft. He is staying away from Arizona’s offseason program for the time being, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting this has been the plan for a bit now (Twitter link). Murray would face fines if he stayed away from the team’s minicamp or training camp, but skipping mandatory activities would be his top leverage play, as it would significantly affect the team’s preparation. But other teams have also received the message the Cards have no interest in trading Murray, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.

Quarterback drama has persisted throughout the offseason’s early months, and one of the early contributors here is back in the mix. Kyler Murray is seeking a Cardinals extension before the draft, but two weeks ahead of the event, nothing is on the horizon.

The Cardinals have not made Murray an offer, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The team still wants to keep Murray long-term, but the sides are not negotiating. This has understandably led other teams to monitor this situation, which ties into Murray’s camp wanting an extension by the draft (Twitter links). The 24-year-old standout became extension-eligible in January, and his side has ramped up the pressure on the Cardinals to hammer out a deal. Team Murray still views the draft as a deadline, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.

Murray’s agent pulled his extension offer weeks ago, Pelissero adds. The market has undoubtedly changed, with Deshaun Watson signing a fully guaranteed $230MM deal with the Browns and Aaron Rodgers raising the per-year bar beyond $50MM. Murray has established himself as one of the league’s top young quarterbacks, though the two-time Pro Bowler has seen his play tail off after hot starts in each of the past two seasons.

A report of the Cardinals being annoyed by Murray started the drama in Arizona, and Murray had issues of his own with the organization. Murray soon scrubbed the Cards from his social media accounts, and his agent sent out a much-discussed statement regarding his client’s extension pursuit. This led to the start of a peacemaking effort, but it is clear the sides have work to do to complete that.

The former No. 1 overall pick is under contract for two more seasons, via the fifth-year option the Cardinals plan to pick up, but it has not been uncommon to see teams extend franchise quarterbacks after their third seasons. Watson, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes received monster re-ups after their third years. Of course, the post-Year 3 deals the Rams and Eagles gave Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, respectively, might factor into the Cards’ decision-making here. Both extensions led to trades that saddled those teams with record-setting dead-money sums.

The draft plays a role here due to Murray’s camp believing more teams would be interested ahead of the event. Even though this year’s quarterback crop has not been highly praised, teams will undoubtedly make big investments at the position, thus narrowing potential Murray destinations and reducing his leverage. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill called Murray’s extension process “complicated” and did not seem to be on the same page regarding a pre-draft extension. The team holds considerable leverage here anyway, but it will be interesting to see how Murray’s side operates in the coming days.

The Kyler Murray situation sounds like it’s far from over. According to Albert Breer of TheMMQB, the Murray situation in Arizona has the “potential to get worse before it gets better.”

[RELATED: Cardinals To Pick Up Kyler Murray’s Fifth-Year Option]

Specifically, Murray and his camp don’t want to wait until the summer to discuss a potential extension, which is what the QB was told by the organization following the season. Rather, Murray prefers to sign an extension with the Cardinals at some point between now and the draft in late April.

Why the rush? Well, if the wheels fall off and Murray ends up getting shopped, the QB’s camp believes the market will be more robust prior to the draft. The belief is that a trade partner would be willing to pay Murray his desired extension, which is why the player’s camp is so focused on the number of potential suitors…after the draft, a number of potential suitors will be off the board. Further, a summer holdout would be tougher due to “strengthened rules to further punish players who stay away.” Plus, a summer holdout means Murray would be spending crucial time away from his teammates, a factor that could be important if he ends up lining up under center for the Cardinals in 2022.

While Breer cautions that he’s not saying Murray will ultimately demand a trade, he believes that the scenario is on the table.

There is some good news for those rooting for Murray to return to Arizona. Per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the QB has returned Cardinals images to his social media profiles. According to a source, this is “the latest olive branch that Murray has extended at a time when the relationship is frayed.”

Negative fallout has emerged from the Cardinals’ first playoff berth in six years, centering around Kyler Murray. The former No. 1 overall pick remains part of the Cardinals’ future, but headlines in recent weeks have complicated the quarterback’s offseason.

After a report of acrimony between the fourth-year quarterback and his team, Murray attempted to quiet that noise. But his agent soon sent a extension proposal/mission statement. That arriving two days before the Cards extended Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury, who shares an agent with Murray, is unlikely to minimize this storyline.

Nevertheless, the Cards are picking up Murray’s fifth-year option — a fully guaranteed figure that will be north of $25MM due to Murray having made two Pro Bowls. Keim also said he is unconcerned about Murray becoming a holdout if no extension is reached this offseason. Murray’s extension memo certainly puts this on the radar, as do the re-ups for Keim and Kingsbury, but the 10th-year Cards GM declined to comment when asked about the prospect of Murray being extended this offseason, per ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss.

The list of quarterbacks to sign big-ticket extensions before their fourth seasons has become extensive since the 2011 CBA reshaped rookie contracts. Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill did so in 2015, while Jared Goff and Carson Wentz inked their deals — pacts their respective teams soon regretted — in 2019. Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Josh Allen followed suit in 2020 and ’21, respectively. Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson represent the outliers here. Given this offseason’s developments, Murray may join them by playing a fourth season on his rookie contract.

The dual-threat quarterback waiting until 2023 to strike a deal may not be the worst idea for his earning potential, with the QB market amid a rapid rise over the course of the past four years. Murray, 24, is also coming off a brutal outing in the Cards’ wild-card loss to the Rams. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill addressed Murray’s extension timetable recently, not ruling out a 2022 summer deal while also calling this process “complicated.” Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer‘s extensions were not in the same ballpark as what Murray will command, putting the Cardinals on new contractual terrain.

The former MLB top-10 pick is set to make just $965K in 2022, though his cap number — as part of a fully guaranteed rookie contract worth more than $35MM — will come in at $11.4MM if no extension is reached. A holdout would be costly for Murray; the 2020 CBA prevents teams from waiving daily fines that come for missing mandatory workouts. Those fines would begin at the Cards’ June minicamp. Players on rookie deals can be fined $40K per each training camp absence. Of course, a Murray holdout would be a more notable development than just about any other player’s considering his unique skillset and importance to his team. That represents the former Heisman winner’s leverage here, if he is intent on securing an extension this year.

This past weekend, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen suggested that there was acrimony between the Cardinals and QB Kyler Murray, with “sources” describing the quarterback as a self-centered, immature finger-pointer. Well, Murray is now firing back via Twitter, saying he’s not about “this nonsense.”

[RELATED: Acrimony Between Cardinals, Kyler Murray?]

“I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get to this position that believed in my [and] to win championships,” Murray wrote. “All of this nonsense is now 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 continue to grow and get better.”

While the weekend report was clearly aimed at Murray (with Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com describing it as a “bizarre hit job”), it also acknowledged that the frustration wasn’t one-sided. Rather, Mortensen reported that Murray had his own issues with the organization and was embarrassed by how the Cardinals’ season ended. The quarterback also scrubbed all mentions of the organization off his social media.

While Murray is now firing back, it still seems unlikely that this is heading towards a divorce. Mortensen said the organization remains committed to the former first-overall pick, and head coach Kliff Kingsbury plans to do some “self-scouting” in an effort to provide Murray with “better alternatives.” Temporarily, this growing tension could play a role in a potential Murray extension; with three years of service time under his belt, the quarterback is now extension-eligible, and it will be interesting to see if player and team are willing to commence extension talks at this point.