Arizona Cardinals-Kyler Murray saga takes another turn, plus will pair of NBA stars miss playoff time?

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Good morning sports fans, it's Chris Bengel here to welcome you into another glorious weekend.

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It's not such a good morning for...

THE ARIZONA CARDINALS

You thought we were done with all of the quarterback drama this NFL offseason? Think again.

The Cardinals haven't made a long-term offer to Kyler Murray yet and the franchise quarterback now reportedly won't suit up for Arizona in 2022 without a new contract. Murray is slated to enter the final year of his rookie contract, but the Cardinals can choose to exercise his fifth-year option. The Arizona quarterback did recently state that he was "not too worried about my future as a Cardinal," but his agent, Erik Burkhardt, reportedly informed the team weeks ago he was "pulling his opening proposal (for a new deal) off the table" and now "there are no negotiations."

Murray is coming off a season in which he put together the following accolades:

Threw for 3,787 passing yards, 24 touchdowns while also rushing for 423 yards and five touchdowns
Made his second consecutive Pro Bowl
Played in his first playoff game in the NFC Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Rams

It's clear that the Cardinals have a budding superstar on their hands in Murray and certainly aren't going to want to lose him. With the recent fully-guaranteed contract that Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns, Murray may want to set the market once again in any new deal with Arizona.

Honorable mentions

Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier 75 years ago today. Here's the story of how sports writer Wendell Smith helped make it happen.
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado tallied five hits, including his first home run of the 2022 season, in a 12-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.
The sale of Tom Brady's final touchdown pass game ball, which sold for $518,000 just before he came out out of retirement, was voided.

Not so honorable mentions

Charlotte Hornets Miles Bridges was fined $50,000 after he threw his mouthpiece, which ended up hitting a fan, into the stands following his ejection on Wednesday.
After trading superstar wide receiver Davante Adams earlier this offseason, the Green Bay Packers signed veteran wideout Sammy Watkins to a one-year deal. Why does the Packers front office hate Aaron Rodgers?

Will Stephen Curry or Luka Doncic play this weekend? 🏀

With the play-in games set to wrap up on Friday, the NBA playoffs will officially begin this weekend. With that in mind, the status of two of the sport's biggest stars are coming into focus.

Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic is expected to miss Game 1 of the team's opening round playoff series against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Doncic suffered a left calf strain during the Mavericks' regular season finale against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is trending in the right direction and is expected to play in Game 1 of the Warriors' opening round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

If Doncic misses multiple games in that series, it's hard to imagine the Mavericks being able to top the Jazz, who won three of their final four regular season games.

Curry has been out of the lineup since March 16 when he suffered a foot injury against the Boston Celtics. He participated in a scrimmage with the Warriors on Thursday and appears to be ready to go. Getting him back in the lineup would be a huge feather in Golden State's cap. After all, the Warriors have only briefly had their big three of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on the floor together at the same time this season.

Why Sam Howell should be first QB taken in NFL Draft 🏈

Don't look now, but the 2022 NFL Draft is almost here (April 28). In recent months, there's been quite a bit of debate regarding which quarterback will be anointed as the next big star to blossom at the NFL level.

For CBS Sports draft writer Chris Trapasso, the first quarterback taken should be former North Carolina star Sam Howell.

Trapasso: "... if Howell does have quality receivers and backs around him, we've seen what he can do, and it's borderline special. Not to elementary-stat drop here, but 68 touchdowns and 14 interceptions at over 9 yards per attempt as a freshman and sophomore is what elevated his stock to top-of-the-draft heights before his junior campaign."

Entering the 2021 college football season, Howell was expected to be the crown jewel of the 2022 draft class. He was coming off a campaign in which he completed 68.1 percent of his passes, threw for 3,586 yards, and tossed 30 touchdowns. It was likely that Howell would've been a top 5-10 pick and probably would've been the first signal caller off the board.

Instead, Howell struggled throughout the 2021 season after skill position players like Javonte Williams, Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome left school to pursue their NFL dreams. The junior quarterback completed just 62.5 percent of his passes, threw for 3.056 passing yards, and had 24 touchdown passes while also tossing a career-high nine interceptions.

The biggest competition Howell has in the draft is former Pittsburgh star QB Kenny Pickett. Either one of them are likely to be taken with the sixth pick at the earliest, by the Panthers.

Kansas players looking to cash in on NIL deals 🏀

The legalization of Name, Image, and Likeness deals for collegiate athletes has completely altered the landscape of college athletics. The next step in all of that, as our college basketball scribe Matt Norlander explains, has to do with how players from Kansas' 2022 national championship team have the opportunity to reset the market when it comes to NIL opportunities.

Norlander: "The world of NIL has exploded with an array of individual moneymaking opportunities. What Kansas is doing here is a twist on that: it's for the whole team. A communal experience. It's a way for everyone, from Agbaji and McCormack to the walk-ons, to capitalize on their accomplishments. A wonderful thing, and the latest example that NIL rights for players enhances the college-athlete experience."

Members of the Jayhawks' national title team are slated to embark on a publicity tour of sorts to celebrate the tremendous accomplishment. Every member of the team's roster will be present, including Final Four Most Outstanding Player Ochai Agbaji and star big man David McCormack.

Kansas players will visit a high school in nearby Wichita, Kansas where they will sign autographs for fans. In addition, fans can participate in a VIP dinner and tickets are being sold anywhere from $30 to $125. Members of the team will receive 70 percent of the ticket revenue from this event.
Any national championship Kansas gear that is sold will lead to 100 percent of the profits going into the players' pockets.

Kansas winning a national championship and going on a publicity tour like this is going to change the entire landscape when it comes to NIL deals.