Can Kyler Murray re-write end ending of "The Great Gatsby?"

By Walter Mitchell

photo by Christopher Hanewinckel

To wake up this morning and read in the Boston Globe that Kyler Murray's decision to post a photo on Instagram of him donning a retro Michael Vick with a bulldog t-shirt may be yet another "no big deal" for Kyler fans, but for me it begs yet another curious question with regard to Kyler's decision making. 

For those of you who never knew or just so happen to forget --- Michael Vick spent 21 months in federal prison for running and funding a dogfighting operation. 

Kyler did his best to try to de-escalate the situation by saying "In no way, shape or form do I condone animal cruelty or dogfighting." Knowing Kyler's love for his own dogs, his statement rings true.

So, why oh why then didn't Kyler take the significance of Vick's old incriminating t-shirt into consideration before deciding, not only to put it on, but then to post an Insta photo of him in it? 

For someone who maintains, "I have an ability to see things before they happen," why does Kyler Murray continue, at times, to make boneheaded decisions?

There are other curious examples regarding his choice of apparel.

Like arriving for games in an A's t-shirt. That may not seem like such a big deal to some of you, but if you are an A's fan, how does that make you feel? Kyler Murray totally screwed the A's by giving them assurances that they could feel 100% confident in selecting him with the #9 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. Then he took $5M from the A's. The A's got absolutely zero in return when Kyler reneged on them, that is, other than the $5M he was obligated to return. 

There's an on-going concern that Kyler Murray not only finds it a struggle to finish off games (due to sluggish, mistake-filled 4th quarters like we have seen the first two games this season, that thankfully have not cost the team wins), but in his 6 years in the NFL he has not finished off a single season well, all the while cashing in on his 5-year $230.5M contract. 

How about Kyler's choice of apparel after signing his $230.5M contract:

Think about Kyler Murray's decision on draft night to come dressed in a pink suit as "The Great Gatsby." Kinda cute, right? When asked about Jay Gatsby, Kyler readily professed his fascination and affinity for the self-made millionaire. The question is --- did Kyler finish the book? Or could he have nodded off at the end of the movie? Things did not turn out all right for Gatsby at the end, regardless of what Nick Carraway opines.

Alas, Gatsby would become the victim of his own poor decision making. First there was the question as to why he would decide to covet a married woman and put all of his eggs in her basket. It would seem that Gatsby could have had his pick of any of the gorgeous bachelorettes who frequented his lavish parties.  

Then there was his decision to tell Daisy's boorish husband Tom Buchanan that "she never loved you; she has always loved me." To which Daisy, in her uncontrollable panic, replies, "Oh, you want too much! I did love him once, but I loved you too." Finally, it was Gatsby's horribly fateful decision to let Daisy drive his car home from Manhattan. He told Nick he thought it would "settle her nerves."

Now let's talk about Kyler's questionable decision making when trying to finish games, particularly when the momentum is on his and the team's side. 

While it was just a pre-season game that Kyler balked about playing days earlier while with Bickley and Marotta, he was turning in the best pre-season game effort of his career, going a perfect 8 for 8 and matriculating the offense down the field versus the Chiefs' starting defense, when on first down in the red zone he decided to attempt a "look away pass" that wound up going straight into the hands of a Chief's defender with no Cardinal receiver in the vicinity. 

Again, some may cry "no big deal" --- but ---

Were you thinking it was no big deal in Minnesota last year when with the team playing so well against the Vikings that he threw up a totally careless interception to Byron Murphy Jr.? Total momentum changer.

Were you thinking no big deal when Kyler threw up three easy picks to the Seahawks in two bitter, largely uncompetitive defeats? 

Were you thinking no big deal when Kyler threw up a glaringly errant interception in the second half of the game in Carolina when ended in the 3-10 Panthers' stunning 36-30 overtime upset, which effectively took the Cardinals out of playoff contention? 

Were you thinking no big deal when Kyler this past week already in field goal position with a commanding 27-3 4th quarter lead forced a pass over the middle with a defender in his face that was tipped into a momentum altering interception? Total momentum changer.

Last season, the Cardinals, as we know, headed into their bye week with a surprising 6-4 record and in first place in the NFC West. At the time, Kyler told the Arizona media that he would stay "locked in" during the bye week and was urging his teammates to do the same. 

Why then did Kyler decide to fly to New York primarily to attend UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden and then decide to spend a few days in New York afterward? With all of the frequent flyer miles that NFL players have to endure, why add a cross-country trip when he could have easily watched the UFC 309 event in the comforts of his own home while trying to get his body and mind in the best possible condition for the remaining 7 games on the schedule? 

Again, some will say that Kyler is entitled to spend the bye week any which way he wants. Yeah. But was Kyler Murray the same player for the Cardinals after the bye week that he was before the bye week? Whatever he did during the bye week did not work for him or the team.

Kyler had been playing his best football since 2021. And knowing that this could be the first time he could finish the season on a high note, why take on a New York City excursion?

I have to be honest. When I saw this Insta photo posted by Kyler during the team's bye week last year, my immediate reaction was "why in the world, given that Kyler vowed to stay locked-in during the bye week is Kyler hanging out on the streets of New York?" It made zero sense. For the sake of rejuvenating his body, especially with flights to Seattle, Minnesota, Carolina and Los Angeles in crucial games ahead of him and the team. 

Again, to be honest, I said to myself, this does not bode well. He won't come back the same. In fact, one could argue that down the key stretch, Kyler was only a shell of his pre-bye self. He looked sluggish and panicky. He was very much the opposite over the first 10 games in wins over the Rams, 49ers, Chargers, Dolphins, Bears and Jets. In fact, versus the Jets he took an absolute face planting from behind, bounced up and two plays later, floated the pocket and stung like a bee with a TD dime to Marvin Harrison Jr. Scoring so brilliantly before the half, the same way he did versus the Panthers zipping a perfect skinny post pass to Michael Wilson.

When Kyler Murray is dialed in and sustains his focus for 60 minutes, he manifests rare dynamics. 

This season is the key season in Arizona for Kyler Murray, both in terms of him sustaining strong performances on the field and for making wise decisions on and off it. Kyler needs to be able to prove that he and the team are capable of making a bona fide run for the division title and the playoffs. 

Over the first two games, Kyler has started strong yet has finished sluggishly. Thanks to an improved defense that finished off game one with an outstanding pass breakup in the end zone and then finished off game two with a door-slamming sack, the Cardinals are 2-0 heading into their first NFC West contest up in Santa Clara versus the 2-0 49ers. 

Yesterday, after trying to make amends for his poor decision to post a photo of himself in the retro Michael Vick t-shirt, Kyler, in my opinion, was at his very best when he answered the questions about not getting the ball to Marvin often enough. Here is what the QB said:

https://x.com/jasrifootball/status/1968676421829603821

After watching Kyler handle this question with great aplomb, my reaction was swift:

https://x.com/WBJMItch/status/1968414617878556759

Walter B J Mitchell

@WBJMItch

Great answer from Kyler. Took a page right out of Kurt Warner's book. On any given week, it's going to be what the most advantageous matchups are and who has the best chance to get open.

4:39 PM · Sep 17, 2025

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Man, could Kyler take more pages out of Kurt Warner's book? Cherish the thought!

With a commandingly mature statement like this one from Kyler, he brings hope.

And, as we know, "Hope is a good thing, Red. Maybe the best of things." (Shawshank Redemption)

You know --- the kind of hope that Nick Carraway saw in Jay Gatsby whenever Gatsby gazed across the courtesy bay at the flashing green light:

“It was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness which I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I will ever find again.”

Let us therefore hope that Kyler Murray rewrites the end of the Great Gatsby.

For himself and for the Arizona Cardinals.

Otherwise:

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

To catch all the last eloquent words of "The Great Gatsby" click here:

Is "The Great Kylerby" coming to NFL theaters near you?

Get out the popcorn and Goobers, this could get very interesting.

It will likely come down to decision-making.

It typically does.