Chris Mortensen Plays Middleman as Kyler Murray and Cardinals Exchange Barbs

Things were so much simpler for Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals in the photo above, back when Murray was busing out Buddha celebrations on the regular and the Cardinals had the best record in the NFL. Then it all fell apart.

Murray got hurt, the Cardinals stumbled down the stretch and suddenly Murray's social media platforms were scrubbed clean of any Cardinals affiliation. Why did he do that and what do the Cardinals think of the player they drafted first overall just three years ago? For that, we turn to ESPN NFL insider Chris Mortensen, who provided an update on where things stand from each side.

It's rare for an insider to provide the perspective for both sides of the argument. Usually it's an agent telling the insider how their client feels or the team telling the insider why their side of the story is more accurate. Here, we're getting vastly different pieces of information that attempt to make the other side look better.

From Murray's perspective, he was the scapegoat of the Cardinals loss to the Rams in the first round of the playoffs and is frustrated with...something, which I'm assuming is not winning enough.

From the Cardinals standpoint, and here come the fireworks, Murray is self-centered, immature and points fingers at others. Those are serious accusations and I doubt they will sit well with Murray.

What's interesting to me is Mortensen playing middle man here, showcasing each side's perspective before finishing with the note that the Cardinals expect things to mellow and for Murray to be back in a Cardinals next season. It's interesting because, again, it paints both sides as the villain, which is bad for both Murray and the Cardinals.

So there you have it. Mort in the middle, Murray and the Cardinals sandwiching him, and some reporting that makes everyone look bad. Next we'll see how they fix this mess and repair the fissures they've created.