Two different Arizona Cardinals are entering make-or-break seasons in 2025.
It's no secret pressure resides on quarterback Kyler Murray as his seventh year in the NFL approaches, though offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's third season at the helm also carries significant weight.
After 2024 saw the Cardinals narrowly miss the postseason, all eyes - and expectations - are placed on the quarterback-coordinator duo for the coming season.
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Though the duo caught plenty of fire from fans last season, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon believes Murray and Petzing are quite fit for each other.
"It's tailor fit for him," Gannon said earlier this offseason when asked about Murray in Petzing's offense. "It's one of the reasons I hired Drew. I knew that was the guy I wanted to play with, and I wanted the system fit in my mind what his skillset was and is, and will grow and continue to develop.
"You list the playoff teams and the quarterbacks of the playoff teams and I told (Kyler) and I believe this, what's the common denominator of the quarterbacks in the playoffs? You can list all these different things right? I'll make it easy on you. It's good teams. We have to do everything we can to support him and put a good team around him."
The Cardinals certainly did that, as Arizona bolstered the defensive side of the ball heavily through free agency and the NFL draft, mostly leaving their offense untouched.
That was a vote of confidence from general manager Monti Ossenfort.
“I think the offense will take another jump. I do. We've got some guys coming off injury that are going to be back to help us out. I think (TE) Trey (McBride) is still an ascending player," Ossenfort said following the draft.
"I think (WR) Marvin (Harrison Jr.), (WR) Michael Wilson, (WR) Greg Dortch, (WR) Zay Jones, (WR) Xavier Weaver, I think all those guys can take a jump in our offense. I think our offensive line played well last year. I think it's a good group. I think that the whole group's going to have a chance to ascend and build on what they did last year. I'm excited to get going on that here as on field activities start here over the next week.”
We'll see if the Murray-Petzing connection can improve ahead of a massive year for both.