Cardinals extend head coach Kliff Kingsbury, GM Steve Keim through 2027

The duo leading the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim, are staying together for five more years.

The Cardinals announced on Wednesday that they've signed Kingsbury and Keim to contract extensions through 2027.

Kingsbury has been the head coach since the 2019 season, and the team's record has improved each and every season since. They went 5-11 in 2019, 8-8 in 2020 and 11-6 in 2021, leading the Cardinals to their first playoff appearance since 2015.

Keim has been GM of the Cardinals since 2013, but has spent his entire post-football career with Arizona, dating back to 1999 when he was a scout.

"The leadership of both Steve and Kliff have been key factors in the team's turnaround over the last three seasons," Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said via the team website. "We are all looking forward to continuing that progress and recognize these two individuals will be a big part of achieving our long-term goals as an organization."

Kyler Murray is on their minds

Thanks to quarterback Kyler Murray, the Cardinals have been in the news lately. Back in early February, Murray scrubbed the Cardinals from his social media accounts, which led to a report that there was friction between him and his team. The Cardinals then released a statement saying they hold Murray in "high regard," which didn't do much to dispel the reports of disharmony.

Then Murray released a statement on social media, in which he said "all of this nonsense" — i.e. the nonsense he started by removing the Cardinals from his social media accounts — "is not what I'm about."

Somehow this Murray news cycle still isn't over. On Monday, Murray's agent Erik Burkhardt released a long statement about Murray's desire to win a Super Bowl with the cards and be their long-term starting quarterback, meaning he wants a big, fat contract extension.

Obviously with all this Kyler stuff floating around, Kingsbury and Keim couldn't avoid questions about him at the NFL combine on Tuesday. Kingsbury said he'd read the statement from Murray's agent, saying "it's part of the business."

Keim had a lengthier answer, since he's the one who will be negotiating with Burkhardt to get that extension done. He acknowledged that Burkhardt is advocating for his client, which is his job as Murray's agent, and emphasized the importance of separating personal feelings and business dealings.

If Murray and the Cardinals don't agree on a contract extension by the deadline in May, Keim said he won't be worried, and the team plans to pick up Murray's 2023 option if they haven't worked out a deal yet.