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The Cardinals and franchise quarterback Kyler Murray are at odds after a season that began with promise ended with a thud in the first round of the playoffs.

Murray, who scrubbed any reference of the Cardinals from his Instagram account recently, is frustrated with the franchise, was embarrassed by the team's 34-11 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams and thinks he has been made the scapegoat, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

The Cardinals have their own concerns about Murray, with Mortensen reporting team sources describing the 2019 No. 1 overall pick as self-centered, immature and someone who points fingers.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is said to be self-scouting where he can provide better alternatives to help Murray, according to Mortensen's sources.

Meanwhile, select veterans on the team hope to reach out to Murray on how the 24-year-old can better handle adversity, sources said.

Former Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who played two years with Murray, wasn't sure what to make of the quarterback's social media move, but said Tuesday he hopes the two sides get whatever it is they both want.

"I haven't talked to Kyler in a while but he looked good in the Pro Bowl, looked like he was having a great time, throwing touchdowns out there," Fitzgerald said Tuesday. "I just hope everything works out the way both sides want it to work out. That's really what it's all about for me. I love Kyler, I love the Cardinals and I want the best for everybody."

For the record, NFL Network's Mike Garofolo reports the Cardinals have not had an extensive conversation with Murray since their end-of-season meetings, but there are a few things they'd like to get across to the star quarterback.

"I do know they're looking for Murray to take a step forward in a number of areas," Garafolo reported Sunday. "We're talking about maturity, body language on the sideline, having a bigger voice with his teammates, and leadership."

Garafolo added that several members of the club were not pleased that Murray did not finish out Arizona's Super Wild Card Weekend defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, in which Murray threw two picks and the

In a statement on Sunday responding to the reports of a potentially frayed relationship with Murray, the Cardinals emphasized their "high regard" for the former No. 1 pick.

"Nothing has changed regarding our opinion and high regard for Kyler Murray," the team stated. "We as a team and Kyler individually have improved each year he's been in the league. We are excited to continue that improvement in 2022 and are excited that Kyler Murray is the quarterback leading us."

In his three seasons in the NFL, Murray has been named Rookie of the Year and to two Pro Bowls.

Murray is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, but Arizona has until May 2 to pick up his fifth-year option. However, Murray is also eligible to negotiate a new deal now that he has completed his third season.

He's currently scheduled to earn a base salary of $965,000 in 2022, but with a $4.5 million roster bonus that's fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, Murray will take home about $5.4 million.

If Murray wants a new deal before his fourth NFL season, he'll have recent precedent to refer to. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received a six-year contract worth $258 million in early August, before he started his fourth season.

Despite the acrimony, Garofolo reports the Cardinals expect things to calm down and for Murray to be their quarterback of the present and future.

In addition, Darren Urban, a long-time reporter for the team's official website, said during a podcast appearance on Monday: "I can't say with 100 percent certainty, but I feel like 99.9 percent certainty that Kyler Murray is going to be quarterbacking this fall, whether he has a new contract or not"

We'll continue to watch for more in coming weeks as the contract situation -- and perhaps the apparent acrimony -- either clears up or comes to a head.