Arizona Cardinals Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

NFL Distributes Performance-Based Payouts

April 10th, 2021 at 4:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Since 2002, the NFL’s performance-based pay system has rewarded low-salary players who exceed their expected playing time. This year, due to the pandemic, the league and the players’ union negotiated a gradual payout schedule, one that will meter out the money between now and 2024.

All in all, the league divested $8.5MM per club. This year’s top earner is Buccaneers guard Alex Cappa, a 2018 third-round pick who played every single snap for the eventual champs. Cappa will now receive an extra $622K on top of his $750K base salary for 2021. Per the union’s records, 25 other players also topped $500K, including Cardinals tackle Kelvin Beachum ($604K), Bills cornerback Taron Johnson ($579K), Rams guard Austin Corbett ($573K), Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye ($572K), Bears tackle Germain Ifedi ($571K), Steelers offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor ($568K), Vikings offensive lineman Dakota Dozier ($561K), Ravens safety DeShon Elliott ($557K) and Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead ($555K).

The full list, going team-by-team, can be found here, courtesy of the NFLPA.

Contract Details: K. Miller, Lockett, McCoy

April 7th, 2021 at 10:55pm CST by Rory Parks

Catching you up on the details of a few recently-signed deals:

Raiders LT Kolton Miller: Three-year extension to keep Miller under club control through 2025. This looks like a fairly team-friendly deal. Miller was paid a $2MM roster bonus today and will earn a $9.5MM salary this year. He is also due a guaranteed $13.5MM roster bonus in 2022, but beyond a few $50K workout bonuses in 2022 and 2024-25, all of the money is in the form of non-guaranteed salary. His salaries from 2022-25 are $3.275MM, $14.225MM, $12.256MM, and $12.256MM (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett: Four-year extension to keep Lockett under club control through 2025. $19MM signing bonus. $13MM option bonus in 2022. Base salaries from 2021-25 are $2MM, $3MM, $9.7MM, $15.3MM, and $15.3MM. $1.6MM roster bonuses in 2024 and 2025 (Twitter link via Yates). 2021 cap hit of $9.25MM (previously $14.95MM).
Cardinals QB Colt McCoy: One-year deal. Veteran salary benefit. Worth $1.2MM with $137K guaranteed and counts $987K against the cap. Twitter link via Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

Cardinals Extend Rodney Hudson

April 6th, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals furnished Rodney Hudson with a new deal after he was shipped from the Raiders to the Cardinals, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Originally believed to be a restructure, the center actually inked a brand new three-year, $30MMM contract.

Originally, Hudson was set to count for $9.9MM in 2021. Now, he has two additional years worth $20.1MM with $16MM in total guarantees. For the Cardinals, that means a much more palatable $2.86MM cap charge for 2021. Meanwhile, the trade left the Raiders with a $7MM+ dead money charge.

Hudson, a three-time Pro Bowler, joins D.J. Humphries and Justin Pugh on the Cardinals offensive line. Last year, he graded out as the eighth-best center in the NFL per Pro Football Focus. Hudson came with a contract to match his resume, but the cost of a third-round pick was well worth it for the Cardinals. He’s now set to take over for Mason Cole, who finished just 31st on PFF’s list.

Larry Fitzgerald Expected To Retire?

April 4th, 2021 at 5:26pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

When the Cardinals signed A.J. Green last month, all eyes turned to Larry Fitzgerald and his place on the team. Although the legendary receiver hasn’t made his intentions known just yet, it appears he’s headed in the direction of hanging up his cleats. “Execs anticipate” that Fitzgerald, who is unsigned for 2021, is going to retire, Mike Sando of The Athletic writes. This stops short of being a full-on report, but it certainly sounds like that’s the way things are trending.

With Green now in the fold alongside the returning DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk, the Cardinals’ receiving room would be pretty crowded if Fitz wanted to give it one last go. The surefire future Hall of Famer played in 13 games for Arizona last year, racking up 54 catches for 409 yards and a touchdown. It was easily the lowest output of his decorated 17-year career. We should know more soon, but unfortunately it seems likely we’ve seen the Pittsburgh product play his final down.

Cardinals C Rodney Hudson Restructures Contract

March 31st, 2021 at 10:29pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals have done some work today to open extra cap space. Veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer writes that center Rodney Hudson has restructured his contract.

Arizona traded for Hudson and his hefty $9.9MM cap charge earlier this month, and it always seemed inevitable that the veteran would work with the organization to reduce that number. Balzer notes that $8.8MM of the lineman’s compensation was converted into a signing bonus, thus reducing Hudson’s salary to $1.1MM. The team also added three voidable years to the contract, meaning the new signing bonus can be prorated over five years. As a result, Hudson’s 2021 cap charge was reduced to $2.86MM.

Hudson also had his 2022 workout bonus converted into base salary, increasing that latter number to $10.85MM. As a result, the lineman’s new cap charge is $12.61MM.

Earlier this month, the Cardinals sent a third-round pick to the Raiders for Hudson and a seventh-rounder. He will now join the likes of D.J. Humphries and Justin Pugh on a talented offensive line in Arizona. Pro Football Focus graded Hudson as its No. 8 overall center last season, and the veteran has three Pro Bowl appearances on his resume.

Cardinals LB Jordan Hicks Takes Pay Cut

March 31st, 2021 at 9:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Jordan Hicks has taken a sizable pay cut to stay in Arizona. Veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer writes that the veteran linebacker has restructured the final two years of his contract.

Hicks was set to have a $9MM cap charge via a $5MM base salary, a $1MM roster bonus, and $3MM of his original signing bonus. The 28-year-old will now have a base salary of $2MM, and the team replaced the roster bonus with $1MM in per-game bonuses, thus leading to a reduced cap figure of $6MM.

Hicks also reduced his 2022 compensation — which were identical to his 2021 numbers — to a $4.25MM base salary, a $750K roster bonus, and $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. As Balzer explains, that roster bonus will likely be due at the beginning of the 2022 league year, at which point the Cardinals will have to decide whether they want to keep the veteran around.

The former third-rounder spent the first four seasons of his career with the Eagles before signing a four-year, $36MM deal ($20MM guaranteed) with the Cardinals in 2019. Hicks has started all 32 games for Arizona over the past two years, compiling 268 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Hicks will likely slide back into the starting lineup in 2021, although Isaiah Simmons, Tanner Vallejo, and/or Zeke Turner could push him for playing time.

Cardinals To Sign Colt McCoy

March 30th, 2021 at 7:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard last week that the Cardinals would host Colt McCoy, and that visit apparently went well. Arizona will be signing the veteran signal-caller, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Financial terms weren’t immediately available, but Schefter reports it’s a one-year deal. McCoy has now reached true journeyman status, and will presumably hold Kyler Murray‘s clipboard in 2021. The Cards were apparently looking to upgrade the backup quarterback spot after former CFL player Chris Streveler mostly fell flat on his face in his only significant run in place of an injured Murray in Week 17 last year.

A college superstar at Texas, McCoy spent his first three pro seasons with the Browns, starting 21 games for Cleveland. After a one season stop with the 49ers, he went on to spend the next six years in Washington. He started seven games in spot duty across those six seasons.

He signed with the Giants in 2020, and started two games in place of an injured Daniel Jones. He completed 40 of 66 passes for 375 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He’s a competent backup, and the 34-year-old will also be a nice veteran mentor to Murray as he enters his third year.

Quinton Dunbar To Visit Cardinals, Lions

March 30th, 2021 at 2:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Quinton Dunbar saw his stock diminish last year, but the veteran cornerback is drawing interest as a free agent. He has secured meetings with the Cardinals and Lions, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

After a breakout 2019 season in Washington, Dunbar was unable to secure an extension with the team’s new regime. Washington shipped one of its starting corners to Seattle for a fifth-round pick, and Dunbar did not provide much value for the Seahawks. He played just six games and could not match the performance level he established in his final Washington slate, allowing a 111 passer rating — after he had limited QBs to a collective 61.2 mark in 2019.

While the Seahawks also have a need at corner, Dunbar has not been linked to a new deal with them. He underwent knee surgery late last year. The 28-year-old defender will, however, meet with two teams in need at the position.

The rebuilding Lions cut both Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman, and 2020 No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah is recovering from an injury that ended his season early. The Cardinals separated with Patrick Peterson after 10 seasons, and 2020 Arizona contributor Dre Kirkpatrick is no longer under contract. Arizona is a bit deeper than Detroit at this juncture, having Byron Murphy and the recently signed Malcolm Butler on its roster.

Wherever he lands, Dunbar will aim to return to the heights he reached in 2019. Although he only played 11 games, the former UDFA intercepted four passes and graded as a top-five corner in the view of Pro Football Focus. Dunbar has 31 starts in six seasons. Most of those came over the past three.

Cardinals Re-Sign S Chris Banjo

March 29th, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Banjo will return for a third season with the Cardinals. The team announced it re-signed the veteran safety to a one-year deal.

One of the NFL’s most experienced special-teamers, Banjo has operated in such a role for eight seasons now. The former UDFA played with the Packers and Saints before signing with the Cards in 2019. Banjo joins safety Shawn Williams in agreeing to terms with Arizona on Monday.

Last season, the Cards asked more from Banjo than his previous teams have. He started a career-high four games and made 48 tackles — nearly 30 more than he had previously registered in a season — after injuries to Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson limited the team’s safety corps.

Banjo’s career-high 436 defensive snaps cut his special teams workload down a bit from 2019, but with Williams coming to Arizona to join Baker, it would appear the Cards are retaining Banjo to work on their specialty units.

Cardinals To Sign Shawn Williams

March 29th, 2021 at 1:11pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Cardinals are adding another piece to their defense. Arizona has agreed to terms with veteran free agent safety Shawn Williams, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Financial terms weren’t immediately available, although Pelissero reports it’s a one-year pact. Williams, a 2013 third-round pick, has spent all eight seasons of his NFL career with the Bengals so far. There’s some familiarity here, as Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was Williams’ defensive backs coach in Cincinnati for a couple of seasons.

It’s the second addition to the secondary in recent days, as Arizona also just signed cornerback Malcolm Butler on Thursday. Williams played sparingly his first couple of years in the league, but then blossomed into a full-time starter. From 2016-19, he started 57 of the 58 games he appeared in.

In 2018 he had an impressive five interceptions, and in 2019 he had 114 tackles. This past season he suddenly fell into the coaching staff’s doghouse, and mostly only played on special teams. He was suspended for a game back in December for stepping on an opponent. The Georgia product will turn 30 in May.

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