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Latest On Patrick Peterson, Cardinals

May 18th, 2019 at 12:56pm CST by Ben Levine

It wasn’t the best week for Patrick Peterson. After being slapped with a six-game ban from the NFL, reports emerged that the cornerback wanted to restructure his contract in an attempt the lessen the financial blow from the suspension (the Cardinals ultimately said no). Predictably, the veteran came out and apologized for his actions.

“Definitely, definitely sorry for what happened today,” Peterson told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Thursday (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “For the most part, I think you guys understand my character and also understand my commitment on and off the field and also to my teammates and also the Arizona Cardinals organization. That’s why this is obviously very, very hard for me, because I’ve never been in this situation before and never wanted to have my name attached to anything like this. But I’m looking to move forward, put this behind me.

“I want to thank my family, my teammates, the coaching staff, the Arizona Cardinals’ community and also the organization. I’m looking forward to getting back Week Seven. I’m going to try to keep the smile on my face and getting back to being the best DB in the league.”

The suspension, a result of a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, will ultimately cost $3.88MM and impact Peterson’s remaining guarantees. The cornerback believed he could save at least $2MM by adjusting his deal, but the Cardinals had no real incentive to oblige. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the front office will save that $3.88MM in both cap space and cap. Furthermore, his 2019 salary is no longer guaranteed; if the organization wants to move on from the cornerback following his suspension, they can easily do so.

It’s been a tumultuous year for Peterson. The 28-year-old requested a trade back in October, but he proceeded to start all 16 games for the league-worst Cardinals. After recommitting himself to the organization, reports emerged last month that the player was not pleased with his team.

Despite all the turmoil, Peterson continued to perform. He finished last season with 54 tackles, five passes defended and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus ranked Peterson fifth among 112 eligible cornerback candidates. Peterson is signed through the 2020 campaign thanks to the five-year, $70MM+ extension he inked with the club back in 2014.

OL Marcus Gilbert Discusses Trade

May 18th, 2019 at 9:12am CST by Ben Levine

When Marcus Gilbert signed a five-year extension back in 2014, he thought he’d be spending the rest of his career with the Steelers. However, the organization surprised the veteran when they traded him to the Cardinals for a sixth-rounder back in March.

“I felt like I disappointed a lot of people in Steeler Nation,” Gilbert told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “(The last year) hasn’t been easy.”

Following a 2017 season that saw Gilbert miss time due to injury and suspension, the veteran offensive lineman was ready to contribute in 2018. The 31-year-old started five of the Steelers’ first six games before suffering a partially torn quad. Instead of undergoing surgery, Gilbert opted for a stem cell shot with the hope that he’d be able to return later in the season. Despite feeling like he was ready to play, the Steelers placed him on injured reserve in mid-December, with the team deciding to roll with Matt Feiler at right tackle.

Unfortunately for Gilbert, that injury ultimately ended his tenure in Pittsburgh. As Fowler writes, there was once hope that the Steelers would be able to retain their offensive line for the foreseeable future. After all, Maurkice Pouncey and Ramon Foster had recently inked new contracts, and Alejandro Villanueva and David DeCastro are signed long=term. Of course, things rarely work out as anticipated in the NFL.

“You can never be surprised with NFL business,” he said. “They respect me, but you have to understand it’s a business. I didn’t take it personally.”

Gilbert will go from protecting future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger to protecting first-overall pick Kyler Murray. Gilbert is one of three veteran additions to the Cardinals offensive line, as the team also signed J.R. Sweezy and Max Garcia.

Latest On Cardinals, Patrick Peterson

May 17th, 2019 at 12:21pm CST by Zachary Links

On Thursday, the NFL handed Patrick Peterson a six-game ban for PEDs. Before that, the Cardinals cornerback had yet another flareup with team brass. The latest issue arose when Peterson asked GM Steve Keim about restructuring his contract to make more cash available immediately and Keim said no, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. 

Peterson, it seems, wanted to lessen his financial losses in advance of his suspension. The cornerback believed that he would have saved at least $2MM by adjusting his deal, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM writes.

The cornerback knew the six-game ban was coming before it was announced on Thursday, but it’s not clear whether the Cardinals had advanced knowledge of the suspension. Either way, it’s not likely that the league office would have approved Peterson’s suggested workaround.

Peterson’s suspension will cost him $3.88MM in wages.

NFL Suspends Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson

May 16th, 2019 at 11:58am CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The ban, a result of a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, will cost $3.88MM and impact P2’s remaining guarantees. Peterson has already dropped his appeal, so this suspension is already set in stone.

The six-game ban will keep Peterson off the field until Oct. 20, when the Cardinals face the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. That means Peterson, one of the league’s very best cornerbacks, will be sidelined for contests against the Lions, Ravens, Panthers, Seahawks, Bengals, and Falcons.

This is a crushing blow to the Cardinals, who are looking to rebound from a league-worst 3-13 record in 2018. It’s also another weird twist in the ongoing saga between the franchise and Peterson.

Peterson demanded a trade in 2018, though he apologized for his outspokenness in January and said he’s in Arizona “to stay.” But, tensions resurfaced in April amidst speculation that the cornerback wanted out yet again.

Typically, first-time PED violations result in a four-game suspension, but there are instances in which a first-time offender can be banned for additional games. For example, if a PED violation is found through means other than a drug test (known as a “non-analytical positive” in the NFL’s bylaws), a player can be suspended for six games.

Last year, Peterson extended his games played/started streak to 128 and tallied two interceptions, five pass deflections, one sack, and 54 tackles. He earned his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl nod and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 ranked CB in the NFL, edging out Jason McCourty, Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan, Prince Amukamara, and Jonathan Joseph. Only Stephon Gilmore, Desmond King II, Chris Harris Jr., and Levi Wallace placed ahead of him.

Furthermore, opposing quarterbacks avoided him like the plague. Peterson was the nearest defender to the targeted receiver on just 10.4% of the coverage snaps he played last season, the fourth-lowest rate among cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps (h/t Seth Walder of ESPN.com, on Twitter).

Peterson, a three-time first-team All Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, is signed through the 2020 campaign thanks to the five-year, $70MM+ extension he inked with the club in 2014. He’s slated to carry cap numbers of $11.9MM and $13.184MM in each of the next two seasons.

Without Peterson, the Cardinals are left with a CB group headlined by David Amerson, Robert Alford, second-round pick Byron Murphy, and Tramaine Brock.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/19

May 13th, 2019 at 12:56pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: S Abraham Wallace, OL Garrett McGhin, DT Quindarius Thagard
  • Released: TE Jake Fisher, RB Keith Ford

Chicago Bears

  • Bears Signed: WR Jesper Horsted
  • Waived: G Tommy Doles

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

 

More Minor NFL Transactions: 5/12/19

May 12th, 2019 at 8:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest round of minor moves from around the NFL (For this morning’s minor moves, click here.):

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: S Tyler Sigler

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: WR Cyril Grayson

Cardinals Sign Five Draft Picks, Wrap Up Draft Class

May 10th, 2019 at 7:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After signing Kyler Murray and a handful of others yesterday, the Cardinals wrapped up the rest of their picks today. Arizona announced the following signings:

With that, every 2019 Cardinals draft pick is officially under contract. In Isabella and Butler, the Cards got two new weapons for Murray. Isabella is a speed-demon who played at a small school, but put up monster numbers. Undersized but blazing fast, Isabella racked up 102 receptions for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns last season for the Minutemen.

Many people thought Butler would end up going earlier than he did, and a lot of mock drafts had him going sometime in the second round. He slipped to the fourth, where Arizona got him with the 103rd pick. Butler was also very productive in college, putting up 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns in his junior season at Iowa State before declaring for the draft.

Thompson is another player who had a notable tumble on draft day. For a while the Alabama product was considered one of the top safeties in the class, and a bunch of analysts thought he would go sometime on Day 2. He’ll now have a big chip on his shoulder, as he lasted all the way to the 139th pick.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/19

May 10th, 2019 at 7:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve got a whole bunch of minor transactions from today as we head into the weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: RB Wes Hills, CB Nate Brooks
  • Released: WR Bryant Mitchell, CB Jonathan Moxey, RB Brandon Wilds

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

  • Waived: RB Martez Carter, LB Chase Hansen, TE Jake Powell

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: CB Jay Liggins

Seattle Seahawks

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed: WR Brian Burt

Orchard, the former second round pick of the Browns, is probably the biggest name on this list. He was cut to make room for Ziggy Ansah, who the Seahawks officially announced today. Orchard had signed a one-year pact last month that didn’t contain any guaranteed money. It’s a pretty bad sign for his NFL future that he was apparently at the very bottom of the 90-man roster in Seattle.

 

 

 

Kyler Murray’s Deal Has Offset Language

May 10th, 2019 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

Kyler Murray‘s deal with the Cardinals contains offset language, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). Offset language is usually at the root of most prolonged rookie negotiations, but the two sides managed to sidestep the issue and come to an accord on Thursday. 

Offset language relates to what happens to a player’s salary if he’s cut during the first four years of his career, while he’s still playing on his rookie contract. For the top 15 to 20 picks in the draft, those four-year salaries are fully guaranteed, even if a player is waived at some point during those four seasons. For example, if a player has $4MM in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and is cut, he’ll still be owed that $4MM.

However, if a team has written offset language into the contract, that club can save some money if and when the player signs with a new team. For example, if that player who had $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, his old team would only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference. If there’s no offset language on that first deal, the old team would continue to be on the hook for the full $4MM, and the player would simply earn an additional $1MM from his new club.

So, Murray appears to have accepted the typical offset language in a rookie deal, though his contract is not without unusual wrinkles. The pact also contains language that will void the deal if he leaves the NFL to pursue his baseball career.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/19

May 9th, 2019 at 8:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

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