All things considered, the Arizona Cardinals had a disappointing season in 2024. The NFC West was uncharacteristically weak, and they still only managed an 8-9 record. Kyler Murray continued to struggle to find consistency, though there were other bright spots on the offense.
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The running game was top 10 in the league (and No. 2 in yards per carry). But the real silver lining last year was young tight end Trey McBride. The third-year man broke out in a big way, finishing fourth in the league with 111 receptions and second among tight ends with 1,146 yards. That taste of success has McBride hungry for more.
The annual Tight End University summit was held this past week, and McBride talked about how the founders of the summit—Greg Olsen, George Kittle, and especially Travis Kelce—have helped him not only improve as a player but also inspired him to aim for more team success. And one way he hopes to do that is by building an even better connection with his quarterback, Kyler Murray.
“Travis, he would always give us some nuggets on being friendly to the quarterback. Make sure you and your quarterback are on the same page. He kind of plays it a little bit. Him and Mahomes have a nice connection, and I kind of took that and was like, ‘Why can’t Kyler and I have that same connection?'” McBride asked.
Obviously, McBride knows that he and Murray can’t turn into the best QB-TE combo in the league overnight. It was more of a rhetorical, I-believe-in-myself statement. He went on to talk about what he does as a player to try and ensure that he and Murray are always on the same page and continuing to grow together.
“I feel like that’s what I tried to do. I tried to have that same relationship and that growth with Kyler and just continue to make plays for him and be that security blanket. If he needs somewhere to go with the ball, he always can throw it to me and that’s what I’m trying to do for him.”
Of course, fans on Reddit took McBride’s words about Mahomes and Kelce seriously and attempted to humble the 2024 Pro Bowler. “Talent, mostly. Appreciate the fire and all, but yeah, no chance you’re getting that connect, or even close to Lamar and Andrews,” said one.
“Does he really want people to answer that question?” asked another. “Well, they both wear red jerseys. I’m not seeing any differences,” replied a third.
Many of the criticisms were not centered on McBride’s own potential, however. Instead, the reason fans thought it was a silly question was that Kyler Murray was not good enough. “No, but maybe he’s trying to will Kyler to become something he hasn’t shown any possibility of becoming,” quipped one fan.
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Over the last two years, McBride has more receptions, yards, and first downs than Kelce. The Chiefs TE is 35, while McBride is in his prime at 25. So it’s not crazy to suggest they are on similar levels right now.
McBride may have already surpassed him, in fact. And when we say surpassed, we don’t mean he has surpassed Kelce’s career accomplishments—he will likely never do that—but that he is a higher quality player in 2025.
The Kyler Murray-Patrick Mahomes comparison is a whole other ball game, however. We’ve been talking about Murray’s potential for years, but we have yet to see it. Mahomes, meanwhile, has already put together a Hall of Fame career and has led his team to the AFC Championship in seven straight seasons. Kyler hasn’t even won a playoff game yet.
