NFL

• Cardinals QB Kyler Murray out for season due to torn ACL
  • This obviously hurts Murray, but it also complicates matters for the Cardinals. With general manager Steve Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury under contract through 2027, Arizona may be forced to pull the plug early on both deals in wake of a lost season. It’s uncertain whether Murray will be back for the start of the 2023 season. If he isn’t, the Cardinals should look into moving DeAndre Hopkins. This upcoming offseason may be the last one in which the Cardinals can receive value in return for the star receiver, given his contract. If Murray can’t complete a quick comeback, next season may also be a lost one in the desert.

NCAAF

• North Texas hires Eric Morris as head coach
  • This is an interesting hire. Morris got things going at Incarnate Word — a hard place to win, but that doesn’t exactly make him proven as a head coach. Morris does have some fairly significant ties to the state of Texas, which helps, but there’s certainly some risk with this hire.
    Grade: C+
• Kent State hires Kenni Burns as head coach
  • Burns has no coordinator experience, but that’s fine because he’s been around plenty of successful teams in the Midwest, which should help him at Kent State. It’s hard to win in Kent, as the program has failed to stack up with the top of the MAC most years, but Burns should bring a winning mentality to the Golden Flashes.
    Grade: B-

MLB

• Giants sign SP Ross Stripling to two-year, $25M contract
  • Stripling was solid for the Blue Jays in 2022, his first good season since 2019 — the tail end of a strong four-year stretch with the Dodgers to start his career. The value of this deal matches pretty well with the going rate for starters of Stripling’s caliber, and the Giants can definitely afford it.
    Grade: B-