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Kyler Murray: 2023 Cardinals '1 of my favorite teams to be a part of'

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Kyler Murray: 2023 Cardinals '1 of my favorite teams to be a part of'


GLENDALE — There were quite a few firsts for the Arizona Cardinals throughout Sunday’s tilt against the Seattle Seahawks.

Running back James Conner reached the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his seven-year career.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon threw his first challenge flag of the season (and won).

Unfortunately for JG and Co., the big first the team was hoping to accomplish this week didn’t come to fruition as the Cardinals were unable to pick up their first divisional victory of the season in a 21-20 loss to the Seahawks.

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In six NFC West tilts, the Cardinals were on the wrong side of the scoreboard in all of them.

Sunday’s matchup especially stings given how close the Cardinals were to getting the W, only to end up on the losing side of things on a missed Matt Prater field goal as time expired.

But while the result handed Arizona its 13th defeat of the year, the feeling inside the interview room was anything but doom and gloom.

Instead, optimism was bursting at the seams, especially when franchise quarterback Kyler Murray was at the podium.

“Personally, the last two weeks I felt like there wasn’t really nothing that they could do to stop us,” Murray said postgame. “I don’t want to lose, nobody in there wants to lose. Felt like we should have won that game, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot to look forward to. I’m excited about it, I know the guys are excited about it. I trust and believe in Monti (Ossenfort) and JG and what they got going and what they’re building here. Complete 180 and I’m happy for the position that we’re in.”

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“It’s refreshing just to have guys upstairs believe in it, they really speak to it and hold everybody accountable,” the QB added. “It trickles down, it starts at the top. I think every great organization, business understands it starts at the top and the guys really believe in what they’re preaching. I’m very confident in what we got going.”

Murray’s abbreviated season off a torn ACL comes to a close with the QB sporting a 3-5 mark as Arizona’s starter. He took clear steps forward in coordinator Drew Petzing’s offense, throwing for 1,799 yards and 10 touchdowns to five interceptions on 65.6% passing. He also added 244 yards and three scores on 44 carries.

But above all else, he’s got leaders of the franchise he unequivocally trusts moving forward on top of seeing the clear path ahead to success, something that clearly wasn’t always the case with the previous regime.

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And while he’s been to the NFL playoffs and took the field in some of the biggest high school and college games there are, the 2023 Cardinals have a special place in his heart regardless of the .235 winning percentage.

“There was a lot of adversity, lot of ups and downs, but this team is one of my favorite teams to ever be a part of,” Murray said postgame. “Never any complaining, never any pointing fingers or anything like that, never turned on each other. Kept showing up to work every single day fighting for each other and going hard. Then on Sundays, we left it all out there.”

“They’re ready to come with me”

Gannon has remained “where his feet are” throughout Year 1 as the Cardinals’ head coach.

You’ll rarely catch him living in the past or looking ahead to the future.

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On Sunday, however, Gannon peeled back the curtain just a bit on what potentially lies ahead for the franchise.

“I’m proud of those guys,” Gannon said postgame. “They fought all year and went through a lot of adversity. Good things are on the horizon. I told them I’ve never been more enthused going into an offseason in my entire life. They’re ready to come with me.”

“I know what this team can be, a competitive, smart, tough team that’s playing meaningful games right now,” the head coach added. “We laid the standard out, the coaches coached it every day and they took to it. The record isn’t what we want it to be and that falls on me, but the team-first mentality never wavered and I feel really good about moving forward.”

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What have the Cardinals done in NFL free agency? – Arizona Sports

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What have the Cardinals done in NFL free agency? – Arizona Sports


The NFL’s legal tampering window is officially open, and it didn’t take long for the Arizona Cardinals to get in the mix.

A running list of the new names and familiar faces coming to Arizona in 2026:

New names on Cardinals roster this free agency

Kendrick Bourne

The former San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots wide receiver brings another body to Arizona’s wide receivers room that includes Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr.

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He’s got plenty of familiarity with new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur from their time together in San Francisco (2017-20). Bourne also spent a year with expected Cardinals starter Jacoby Brissett in 2024 with the Patriots.

The wide receiver caught 37 passes for 551 yards in 16 games played (eight starts) last year.

He’s now on board for two years in Arizona.

Isaac Seumalo

The guard spent the past three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers after a seven-season stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.

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He’s started 104 out of 125 games played and has spent time at both left and right guard during his NFL career.

According to Next Gen Stats, the guard allowed a 3.7% pressure rate last year. That was the lowest rate among all eligible guards in 2025.

Gardner Minshew

Minshew agreed to terms on a one-year deal on Monday.

He’s expected to back up expected starter Jacoby Brissett in 2026, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.

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Coming off his seventh NFL season and first with the Kansas City Chiefs, Minshew appeared in four games (one start) last year. He completed 46.2% of his throws for 37 yards and an interception.

Before landing with the Chiefs, Minshew spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders (2024), Indianapolis Colts (2023), Philadelphia Eagles (2021-22) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2019-20).

RB Tyler Allgeier

Allgeier comes over to Arizona on a reported two-year contract.

Before agreeing to terms on the $12.25 million deal with Arizona on Monday, Allgeier played four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.

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He ran for 514 yards and eight touchdowns on 143 carries last year, while adding another 14 catches for 96 yards.

While he worked mostly behind Bijan Robinson the past three years, Allgeier did surpass the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie in 2022.

Familiar faces

L.J. Collier

Collier is back on a one-year deal.

The defensive lineman appeared in four games in 2025 due to a knee injury suffered in Week 2.

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He recorded six tackles and two QB hits in what was his third season with the team.

Roy Lopez

After a one-year stint with the Detroit Lions, Lopez is back with his hometown team on a reported two-year deal.

In 17 games played last year, he recorded two sacks, four tackles for loss and a pass defensed.

Before his time in Detroit, Lopez spent two seasons with Arizona from 2023-24. During that span, he registered a sack, six tackles for loss, three passes defensed and a forced fumble in 30 games played (21 starts).

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K Chad Ryland

Ryland is back on a one-year deal, the team announced.

Ryland went through plenty of struggles last season after a having a career year in 2024. His accuracy dropped from 87.5% in 2024 to 75.8% last season. He was especially inconsistent from 40 yards and on, compiling a 13-of-20 mark (65%). Inside 40 yards, though, Ryland was 12-of-13 (92.3%).

Arizona brought in kicker Josh Karty late in the year (more on him later), but Ryland never gave up his role and appeared in all 17 games.

A one-year deal isn’t going to break the bank by any means.

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P Blake Gillikin

The Cardinals must feel pretty good about where Gillikin is at in his recovering from a back injury last year with their signing of the punter to a one-year deal.

Before he went down five games into the season, the punter was leading the league in yards per punt with 51.7.

Not only that, across his five seasons (65 games) in the NFL, he holds the all-time record for yards per punt at 48.5.

Staying healthy is key for Gillikin, who also missed time in 2024 due to an ankle injury.

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RB James Conner

Technically not a free agent, Conner was a potential cut candidate given his contract.

But after reportedly revising his deal, Conner is returning for his sixth season with the Cardinals.

The running back brings plenty of leadership and a bruising running style to the mix.

He’s coming off an abbreviated 2025 (three games) due to an ankle injury but had rushed for a pair of 1,000-yard seasons the two years prior. He scored at least seven rushing touchdowns each season from 2022-24.

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CB Sean Murphy-Bunting

Much like Conner, Murphy-Bunting was another prime cut candidate due to his contract but reportedly revised his deal with Arizona as well.

Murphy-Bunting has a lot to prove after missing all of 2025 due to an injury suffered away from the team facility.

In his first season with the Cardinals, the cornerback recorded 52 tackles, three interceptions, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles across 15 starts.

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Arizona’s Jaden Bradley named Big 12 men’s basketball player of year

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Arizona’s Jaden Bradley named Big 12 men’s basketball player of year


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The Arizona men’s basketball team went 29-2 overall and 16-2 in the Big 12, winning the conference’s regular season title.

The Wildcats were rewarded for their dominance in the Big 12’s men’s basketball awards, which were announced on March 9.

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Arizona’s Jaden Bradley was named the Big 12 Player of the Year, while Tobe Awaka earned the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year award and coach Tommy Lloyd earned Coach of the Year accolades.

Bradley averaged 13.4 points and 4.6 assists. Awaka was the nation’s leading rebounder off the bench, averaging 9.7 rebounds and 9.9 points when entering the game as a reserve. Lloyd led Arizona to its first Big 12 regular-season title.

Arizona State was completely shut out of the awards, with Moe Odum not receiving honorable mention honors despite averaging 17.1 points per game and 5.9 assists per game for the Sun Devils.

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2026 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball Awards

  • Player of the Year: Jaden Bradley, Arizona
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Flory Bidunga, Kansas
  • Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
  • Freshman of the Year: AJ Dybantsa, BYU
  • Newcomer of the Year: Melvin Council Jr., Kansas
  • Sixth Man Award: Tobe Awaka, Arizona*
  • Most Improved: Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
  • Coach of the Year: Tommy Lloyd, Arizona

All-Big 12 First Team

  • Jaden Bradley, Arizona
  • Brayden Burries, Arizona
  • Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
  • AJ Dybantsa, BYU*
  • Emanuel Sharp, Houston
  • Kingston Flemings, Houston*
  • Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
  • Flory Bidunga, Kansas
  • Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
  • JT Toppin, Texas Tech*

All-Big 12 Second Team

  • Richie Saunders, BYU
  • Baba Miller, Cincinnati
  • Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
  • Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State
  • Darryn Peterson, Kansas

All-Big 12 Third Team

  • Koa Peat, Arizona
  • Cameron Carr, Baylor
  • Rob Wright, BYU
  • Themus Fulks, UCF
  • Xavier Edmonds, TCU

All-Big 12 Honorable Mention:

  • Arizona: Tobe Awaka
  • Baylor: Tounde Yessoufou
  • Cincinnati: Moustapha Thiam
  • Colorado: Isaiah Johnson
  • Houston: Joseph Tugler, Milos Uzan
  • Kansas: Melvin Council Jr.
  • Kansas State: PJ Haggerty
  • Oklahoma State: Parsa Fallah
  • TCU: David Punch
  • Texas Tech: Donovan Atwell
  • West Virginia: Honor Huff
  • Utah: Terrence Brown

All-Defensive Team

  • Jaden Bradley, Arizona
  • Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
  • Emanuel Sharp, Houston
  • Joseph Tugler, Houston
  • Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
  • Flory Bidunga, Kansas*

A tie resulted in an extra position on the team

All-Freshman Team

  • Brayden Burries, Arizona*
  • Koa Peat, Arizona
  • AJ Dybantsa, BYU*
  • Kingston Flemings, Houston*
  • Darryn Peterson, Kansas*

All-Newcomer Team

  • Cameron Carr, Baylor
  • Themus Fulks, UCF
  • Baba Miller, Cincinnati
  • Melvin Council Jr., Kansas
  • Donovan Atwell, Texas Tech

*- unanimous selection

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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Arizona gas prices rise above national average amid Middle East conflict

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Arizona gas prices rise above national average amid Middle East conflict


PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The average price of regular gasoline in Arizona surged more than 30 cents in just a few days, according to AAA, leaving the state’s average at around $3.84 per gallon as of Sunday. The national average stands at $3.45.

Arizona is now one of the most expensive states in the country to fill up, topping the national average by nearly 40 cents.

AAA said the war in Iran is affecting crude oil prices, which are now trading at more than $100 per barrel. Arizona’s Family also reported a slowdown in a major ship channel in the Middle East, adding further pressure to the market.

A seasonal factor is also contributing to the spike. The transition to summer-blend gasoline, which is required in spring, is driving prices higher as well.

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Drivers at a central Phoenix gas station said they were caught off guard by the rapid increase.

“I was appalled,” one driver said.

“It was ridiculous,” said another.

“That is a lot, especially in such a short period of time,” said Andrea Webb.

The gas station attendant said some drivers are limiting how much they spend per fill-up, putting in only $10 to $20 at a time. Others said they are actively searching for the lowest posted price.

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“I feel like I’m always on the hunt for whatever is the cheapest gas,” said Bailey Mitchell. “This was $4.09 versus $4.15, so I’ll take it.”

Not all drivers said they are cutting back.

“I’m gonna bite the bullet. I need gas in my car. I’ll fill it up,” said Webb.

ASU professor of supply chain management, Hitendra Chaturvedi, said oil prices could approach $130 per barrel if the war in Iran continues. That scenario could push Arizona gas prices close to $6 per gallon, the professor said. No timeline was given.

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