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Arizona Cardinals News & Rumors

Cardinals G Justin Pugh Accepts Pay Cut

March 23rd, 2021 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals have added a few key pieces this offseason. One of their starting offensive linemen agreed to a pay cut to help them do so.

In the wake of the Cards adding J.J. Watt, A.J. Green and Rodney Hudson, three-year Cardinals guard starter Justin Pugh revealed he accepted a pay cut (Twitter link). Pugh signed a five-year, $45MM deal in 2018 but agreed to trim some of his 2021 salary recently.

Pugh will drop his 2021 base salary from $7.75MM to $5MM, SI.com’s Howard Balzer notes. In exchange for Pugh agreeing to the slight reduction, the Cardinals will guarantee $4MM of his 2021 base. The Cardinals created nearly $5MM in cap space by making this move, with Pugh’s cap number set to drop from $11.2MM to $6.9MM. He can collect up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses as well, per Balzer.

Cards GM Steve Keim said Monday he views Pugh as the team’s starting left guard going forward. The former first-round pick has stabilized his career while working at this position over the past two seasons. After injuries derailed his 2017 and ’18 seasons, Pugh has started 31 games since Kyler Murray‘s 2019 arrival. Pugh, 30, remains signed through the 2022 season.

Cardinals To Sign Brian Winters

March 22nd, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have agreed to sign offensive lineman Brian Winters. Meanwhile, they’ve also re-upped backup lineman Max Garcia. 

Winters joined the Bills last year after a number of seasons as the Jets’ starting right guard. In Buffalo, he played in all 16 games, including nine starts at RG. Now, he’s ticketed for a competition with incumbent Justin Murray and 2020 third-round pick Josh Jones.

The Cardinals have reshaped their offensive line in recent days by trading for Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson. They’ve also re-upped right tackle Kelvin Beachum in an effort to give Kyler Murray better protection up front. There’s still plenty of time to go between now and the start of the 2021 season, but the Cards’ starting OL currently projects to include D.J. Humphries at left tackle, Justin Pugh at left guard, Hudson at center, Winters at right guard, and Kelvin Beachum at right tackle.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/21

March 20th, 2021 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the minor moves from Day 4 of official free agency:

Arizona Cardinals

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

 

Eagles To Meet With Adoree’ Jackson

March 19th, 2021 at 7:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Adoree’ Jackson is going on an NFC East tour. After his scheduled meeting with the Giants, the former Titans cornerback will get together with the Eagles (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). In addition, the Rams, Chiefs, Raiders and Cardinals have also shown interest, according to Mike Jones of USA Today (on Twitter).

[RELATED: Giants To Meet With Jackson]

The Eagles have yet to add a cornerback this week, even though it’s one of their biggest needs. The group is headlined by Darius Slay, but they don’t have much after that. Also, Slay was less-than-stellar in 2020. With Avonte Maddox set to return to his preferred slot duties, the Eagles will need to find a CB2 one way or another. Jackson, who looked to be one of the league’s best young corners in 2019, wouldn’t be a bad choice.

Jackson would also be a good fit for the Rams, who have yet to make their mark in free agency this year. They probably won’t be able to offer him the best deal, but the USC product could be swayed by the opportunity to return home.

Cardinals Sign K Matt Prater

March 17th, 2021 at 6:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals have made an upgrade at kicker. They signed the specialist who holds the record for the NFL’s longest field goal, agreeing to terms with former Broncos and Lions kicker Matt Prater.

Prater spent the past seven seasons in Detroit. He will migrate to the desert for his age-37 season. Prater will replace Zane Gonzalez, whose struggles down the stretch contributed to the Cardinals slinking out of the 2020 playoff race.

Prater’s deal is worth $7MM over two years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He will rejoin former Broncos special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers with the Cardinals.

He of a 64-yard field goal during his final Broncos season (2013), Prater continued his long-range mastery in Detroit. He connected on a 59-yard game-winner last season and was successful from at least 58 yards in three other Lions seasons. Prater made just 21 of 28 field goals last season but has two Pro Bowls on his resume.

The Cardinals cut Gonzalez last week. While his six misses (16 of 22) were fewer than Prater’s misfire count, Gonzalez missed some key kicks in Cards losses. Most notably, his 49-yarder that fell short of the goal posts led to the Cards losing to the Dolphins in a late-season shootout. GM Steve Keim moved swiftly to address the deficiency.

Raiders Trade C Rodney Hudson To Cardinals

March 17th, 2021 at 2:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders found a taker for Rodney Hudson. A day after the Pro Bowl center surfaced as a cap casualty, the Raiders sought to trade him. The Cardinals will acquire the veteran snapper.

Hudson will be shipped to Arizona in a pick-swap deal, per Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This will represent a significant upgrade at the center spot for the Cardinals while giving the Raiders something in return for a player they appeared prepared to cut. The Cards announced the move.

Instead of releasing Hudson, the Raiders are set to receive a Day 2 pick in a trade. The Cardinals will send a third-round pick for Hudson and a seventh-rounder, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Cards were rumored to be targeting centers. They will now acquire one of the best in the business.

Initially a 2015 signee, Hudson broke out with the Raiders. The former Chiefs third-round pick has made the Pro Bowl three times and paved the way for three 1,000-yard rushing seasons while with the Raiders. He operated as the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s better offensive lines. He will now join the likes of D.J. Humphries and Justin Pugh in Arizona; the Cards also brought back right tackle Kelvin Beachum on Wednesday.

Pro Football Focus graded Hudson as its No. 8 overall center last season; Cardinals primary snapper Mason Cole came in at 31st. The 2021 season will be Hudson’s age-32 campaign.

The 10-year veteran will remain attached to the extension the Raiders signed him to in 2019; that deal runs through 2022. Las Vegas will be tagged with some dead money, upwards of $7MM, but a trade will be an obviously preferable scenario on the financial and compensation front for the Silver and Black. That said, the Raiders will have some big shoes to fill at this position.

Contract Details: Patriots, Moseley, Golden, Bills, Hyde

March 16th, 2021 at 6:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted contract details from around the NFL:

  • LB Matt Judon, Patriots: $18MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2021), $11MM (2022), $11MM (2023), $9.5MM (2024). Up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses, $500K All-Pro incentive between 2022 and 2024. Via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter.
  • TE Jonnu Smith, Patriots: $15MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2021), $9MM (2022), $10MM (2023), $11MM (2024). Up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. Via Yates on Twitter.
  • CB Emmanuel Moseley, 49ers: $500K per-game active roster bonus in 2022. Up to $750K play-time base salary escalator in 2022. Via Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson on Twitter.
  • LB Markus Golden, Cardinals: two years, $5MM, $2.5MM guaranteed. $1.5MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2021, guaranteed), $2MM (2022). Up to $250K in annual per-game roster bonuses, up to $2MM in annual sack incentives. Via Wilson on Twitter.
  • OT Daryl Williams, Bills: $13.75MM guaranteed, $5.4MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2021), $6.725MM (2022), $5.475MM (2023). $3MM roster bonus in 2021, $1.25MM roster bonus in 2023. Per-game roster bonuses: $250K (2021), $300K (2022-2023). $100K annual workout bonuses. $2.2MM in additional annual incentives. Via Yates on Twitter.
  • RB Carlos Hyde, Jaguars: Two years, $4.5MM. $1.25MM base salary in 2021 is fully guaranteed. $900K signing bonus. Via TheMMQB’s Albert Breer on Twitter.

Cardinals Re-Sign OL Kelvin Beachum

March 16th, 2021 at 5:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Kelvin Beachum is sticking around Arizona. The Cardinals announced that they’ve re-signed the offensive lineman to a two-year deal.

The 2012 seventh-round pick has put together a solid nine-year career with four different organizations. Following a three-year stint with the Jets, Beachum joined the Cardinals last offseason on a one-year deal. He ultimately started all 16 games for the Cardinals at right tackle, allowing only three sacks.

Beachum could have some competition for the starting gig in 2021. 2020 third-round pick Josh Jones figures to be in the mix, although the youngster has the ability to play both guard and tackle. The Cardinals will also welcome back Marcus Gilbert, whose decision to opt out of the 2020 season necessitated the Beachum signing in the first place.

Either way, the Cardinals are clearly looking to add as much offensive line depth as possible as they look to protect franchise quarterback Kyler Murray.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/21

March 15th, 2021 at 7:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s “minor” moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Minnesota Vikings

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/21

March 15th, 2021 at 7:36pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve compiled a handful of tender decisions below:

  • The Cardinals are tendering linebacker Dennis Gardeck at a second-round value, which is worth around $3.38MM. The former undrafted free agent has spent his entire three-year career with Arizona, primarily appearing on special teams. However, the 26-year-old took on a bigger defensive role in 2020, finished with seven sacks in only 93 snaps. Gardeck tore his ACL late in the season, so his status for 2021 is in doubt.
  • The Chargers won’t be tendering defensive end Isaac Rochell, which comes as a bit of a surprise. The 25-year-old had a solid season for Los Angeles, starting six games while compiling 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Rochell has 9.5 career sacks and 12 QB hits in 51 career games.
  • The Packers have tendered wideout Malik Taylor, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). After spending much of his rookie season on Green Bay’s practice squad, Taylor managed to appear in 15 games for the Packers this past season. He ultimately hauled in five receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown. He also returned a pair of kicks and compiled three tackles.
  • The Bills won’t be tendering cornerback Levi Wallace, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). However, there’s still a chance the 25-year-old lands back in Buffalo. The cornerback has started 28 games for Buffalo over the past two years, compiling four interceptions and 17 passes defended.
  • The Cowboys are tendering wideout Cedrick Wilson and nose tackle Antwaun Woods. Wilson has appeared in 22 games over the past two years, compiling 25 touches for 223 yards from scrimmage. Woods has started 32 of his 39 games for Dallas over the past three years, compiling 80, four tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
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