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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

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.

[RELATED: Cardinals LB Jordan Hicks Takes Pay Cut]

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.

Colt McCoy To Visit Cardinals

March 25th, 2021 at 5:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals are looking at backup quarterbacks and appear to have a veteran in mind. They are set to host Colt McCoy on a visit next week, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This visit has a good chance of producing a deal that will make McCoy Kyler Murray‘s backup, Schefter adds. McCoy has spent most of his career as a backup, playing that role for the Giants last season.

McCoy resurfaced on the free agent radar last year, signing with the Giants. He played the previous six seasons with Washington, with his role vacillating from third-stringer to spot starter during that run. McCoy helped the Giants to a crucial road win over the Seahawks last season.

The former Texas Longhorn is going into his age-35 season. This would be McCoy’s 12th NFL campaign. McCoy is 8-22 as a starter — with Cleveland, Washington and the Giants — but has extensive experience (22 starts, 989 pass attempts) since going off the 2010 draft board in the third round.

A 2019 acquisition to work as Murray’s backup, Brett Hundley is a free agent. However, Chris Streveler — who replaced Murray in Week 16 against Seattle — remains under contract. Hundley, the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers injury replacement in 2017, did not take any snaps for the Cards last season. Murray has not missed a start in two NFL seasons.

Cardinals Trade C Mason Cole To Vikings

March 25th, 2021 at 1:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have traded center Mason Cole to the Vikings, according to Mark Sanchez of ESPN (on Twitter). The news has also been confirmed by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter links), who adds that Cole may be shifted to one of the guard spots.

In exchange for Cole, the Vikings will send a sixth-round pick to Arizona. It’ll be Minnesota’s compensatory pick at the end of the sixth round — the No. 223 overall choice.

Cole, a Michigan product, has appeared in 46 games with 32 starts for the Cardinals. The 2018 third-rounder was first-string 14 times last year, but the advanced metrics didn’t look fondly upon his work. Cole finished out with a 54.4 overall Pro Football Focus grade, ranking him 31st out of 36 qualified centers. After acquiring Rodney Hudson, the Cardinals were no longer in need of Cole’s services.

Cole is slated to make upwards of $2MM in 2021, the final season of his four-year rookie deal. That’s significantly cheaper than, say, Nick Easton, who doesn’t seem all that interested in a Vikings return.

Cardinals Sign Malcolm Butler

March 25th, 2021 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have signed Malcolm Butler, per a club announcement. The veteran cornerback heads to Arizona on a one-year deal, giving the Cardinals yet another big-name veteran. 

[RELATED: Cardinals Sign A.J. Green]

The Titans cut Butler earlier this month to save $10.2MM against the salary cap. Previous to that, they had just $1MM in breathing room. Butler, a one-time Super Bowl hero, spent three seasons with the Titans, but the remainder of his five-year, $61.25MM contract was too much for Tennessee.

Butler, 31, finished 2020 as Pro Football Focus’ No. 15 corner in the NFL. It was a strong return — he missed much of 2019, but he suited up for all 16 games last year while nabbing four interceptions and 100 total tackles (a new career high). All in all, he posted the lowest yards-per-completion and yards-per-target numbers of his Tennessee tenure.

The loss of Patrick Peterson prompted the Cardinals to seek out cornerback support. Butler should go a long way towards solidifying the position with Byron Murphy in the slot and Robert Alford (if healthy) as the CB2.

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