Kyler Murray believes he can reach the level of the last two NFL MVPs, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, after being named Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2019.
Murray turned his back on an MLB career to declare for last year's NFL Draft, and the Arizona Cardinals made the Oklahoma quarterback the first overall pick.
He had more than 4,000 yards of total offense — 3,722 of those coming through the air — in a rookie season that earned hin NFL honors Saturday night in Miami. He edged out Oakland Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown and Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders for the award.
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Later in the evening, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Jackson was named MVP by unanimous vote, succeeding Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Mahomes. Both won the NFL's most prestigious individual prize in their second years in the league.
Asked about the possibility of elevating his game to those heights in his second year as a professional, Murray said: "Those two are obviously different for a reason, they've always been good players.
"Taking their games to the next level that next season, I think they probably went back at it and worked hard.
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"They've got great teammates around them, great coaches. It's a team game.
"Those two are obviously very different guys and for me, personally, I feel like I can be at that level.
"This being my first year, I think it's possible to make that step and that's what we're striving for. I think that's what everyone's striving for — to be the best."
Murray defied the doubters who thought that, at 5-10, he was too small to be a successful NFL quarterback.
"Everybody sets out individual goals," Murray said of his rookie season.
"I knew if I played well enough . . . that [award] is not obviously the [main] goal, but just doing my part on the field, leading my guys to wins and trying to play as best as I can that I would be in a good position to do so, with a lot of help around me, [from] God, my parents, teammates and coaches.
"I'm standing here right now with it so, yeah, it was a goal of mine."