- Cardinals running back Chris Johnson‘s one-year deal includes a $1MM base value, $200K in guarantees and a chance to earn more in incentives, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).
If Carson Palmer retires after the 2017 season, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter) could see a scenario in which the Cardinals make a run at Kirk Cousins or perhaps Sam Bradford. Both players would be a schematic fit for the Cardinals and there won’t be a ton of other established quarterbacks available. If Cousins is an unrestricted free agent, the Cardinals could have a hard time bidding against the rival 49ers as they will be loaded with cap space.
The Cardinals have re-signed running back Chris Johnson, according to a team announcement. It’s a one-year deal, per a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
This offseason, head coach Bruce Arians has appeared to be content with Kerwynn Williams as the primary backup to superstar David Johnson. Apparently, that’s not quite the case. Johnson will now compete with Williams, Andre Ellington, and fifth-round pick T.J. Logan to be D. Johnson’s main understudy.
CJ2K, 32 in September, is coming off of a rough year which ended with a groin injury. It was his second straight year to be cut short by injury, but it’s important to note that he missed only one career game before first signing with Arizona in 2015.
Johnson has six 1,000-yard seasons (including a 2,000-yard campaign) and three Pro Bowl nods on his resume, but the Cardinals are just hoping that he can offer reliable production in a support role. Regardless how the Cardinals view him, Johnson will be fighting hard for significant carries.
“I need to be involved,” the speedster said in June. “At this point in my career, I don’t want to sit on the sideline. I want to get in the game.”
The Cardinals already had one open spot on the 90-man roster, so they will not need to release anyone to make room for Johnson.
- Tight end, cornerback and running back stand out as positions the Cardinals could address this summer, observes Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. Aside from starter Jermaine Gresham, the Cardinals lack established options at tight end, where Troy Niklas and Ifeanyi Momah have dealt with injuries and Hakeem Valles is coming off a rookie season spent mostly on special teams. The Cards may bolster their depth at corner, but they won’t make any Darrelle Revis-esque splashes in free agency, according to Somers. At running back, head coach Bruce Arians is seemingly content with Kerwynn Williams backing up superstar David Johnson, though there could be room for free agent Chris Johnson‘s return if Andre Ellington and the Cards’ young reserves don’t show well in the coming weeks, per Somers.
Johnson is coming off a meniscus injury, while Bell tore his MCL in 2015 to further illustrate how tenuous these players’ windows for dominance can be. Johnson is also two months older than Bell but two NFL seasons behind him, so Bell might have a better chance of cashing in since Johnson will turn 27 at the end of his rookie deal. But Bruce Arians recently said his breakout running back doesn’t have a ceiling, indicating the Cardinals might opt to keep him long-term once he’s extension-eligible after this season.
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians recently revealed that he had surgery to remove a cancerous piece of his kidney. Five months later, he says that he is feeling “great” and retirement is not at the forefront of his mind. 
“I hope not,” said Arians when asked if 2017 could be his last season (via ESPN.com). “That’s going to mean I’m not healthy.”
Arians’ contract runs through the 2018 season and he hopes to fulfill that deal, at minimum. The contract also includes a team option for the 2019 season. The 64-year-old indicated that he will walk away if and when he does “feel like doing it,” but that’s a far cry from where is currently.
The kidney scare was just the latest medical setback for Arians. In August of last year, Arians was hospitalized with symptoms of diverticulitis. In November, he was rushed to the hospital with chest pains. The good news is that Arians says he is all healed up from the kidney surgery and his only current ailment is a troublesome rotator cuff.
The Cardinals made the playoffs in both 2014 and 2015 under Arians with an NFC Championship Game appearance in ’15. This year, the Cardinals will look to improve upon 2016’s 7-8-1 finish and return to the postseason.
Cardinals running back David Johnson says that he is paying close attention to Le’Veon Bell‘s contract negotiations with hopes that he’ll get a big payday. Johnson feels that things are about to change for top running backs and believes that big money is on the way.
“I feel like, especially now, with the running backs we have in this league, we’re going to definitely change the mentality of the running back and those contract deals,” Johnson told Andy Benoit of The MMQB. “We’re going to definitely make it [understood] that running backs are more important than you’d think. Everyone thinks it’s a passing league, but I think running backs are starting to show up and show out and prove that you need a good one to be a capable team.”
Unfortunately for Johnson, teams are still paying close attention to the odometers on running backs and it’s hard to net a monster deal after you’ve already logged a certain number of NFL carries. There are exceptions, but the perception remains that running backs are fungible with a limited shelf life and that impacts their pay day.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Former NFL running back Glen Coffee will be participating in Saturday’s Spring League Showcase, Mike Florio of PFT writes. The 29-year-old was a former third round pick of the 49ers who retired after one NFL season. He announced earlier this year that he would be attempting a comeback. Given his age and time away from the game, he’ll really have to impress scouts in order to get a camp invite.
- New Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth is the best newcomer to the NFC West this year, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com argues. Whitworth takes over for failed former No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson and should give Jared Goff better protection on his blindside. Whitworth is 36, but he has three Pro Bowls on his resume and is considered to be one of the game’s very best tackles.
- Seahawks cornerback DeShawn Shead is likely to begin the year on the PUP list.
Last year, things didn’t exactly go according to plan for the Cardinals as they finished out 7-8-1, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. With little salary cap room to work with, it’s not exactly clear if the Cardinals have put themselves in position for a big turnaround.
Notable signings:
- Chandler Jones, LB: Five years, $82.5MM. $21MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
- Jermaine Gresham, TE: Four years, $28MM. $13MM guaranteed.
- Antoine Bethea, S: Three years, $12.75MM. $2MM guaranteed.
- Phil Dawson, K: Two years, $6MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
- Jarvis Jones, LB: One year, $2.25MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Karlos Dansby, LB: One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed.
- A.Q. Shipley, C: Two years, $3.5MM. $725K guaranteed.
- Frostee Rucker, DL: One year, $1.08MM. $80K guaranteed.
- Andre Ellington, RB: One year, $905K. $80K guaranteed.
- Tony Bergstrom, C: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Blaine Gabbert, QB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Jeremy Ross, WR: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Aaron Dobson, WR: One year, $615K.
- Jumal Rolle, CB: One year, $615K.
The Cardinals knew they’d have to pony up a massive deal when they acquired Chandler Jones via trade from the Patriots. This year, they applied the franchise tag to Jones but the two sides shook hands on a massive extension just days later. Jones’ new deal makes him the third-highest paid 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL, trailing only Von Miller and Justin Houston in terms of yearly average. When it comes to average guarantees per year, he’s in second place with $6.2MM, ahead of Houston. It wasn’t cheap to lock up Jones, but he is one of the league’s very best edge defenders and the market is only growing for those players. If Jones continues on this trajectory, it will all be worth it for Arizona. 
Considering the Cardinals’ cap situation, their four-year, $28MM deal for tight end Jermaine Gresham was a bit perplexing. Before the free agent market officially opened, I had Gresham ranked as the ninth-best option available. The 28-year-old (29 in June) had 37 catches for 391 yards last year, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of blocking. The good news is that the 29-year-old will only carry a $3.75MM cap number in 2017, but his contract doesn’t look so great after that. In 2018, the Cardinals are saddled with a $7.25MM cap number and releasing him ($9.25MM) isn’t really a viable option. In 2019, they’ll be stuck with $3.5MM if they release Gresham.
Free agent addition Antoine Bethea projects as the Cardinals’ starting strong safety, but he may have to duke it out with the team’s second round pick (more on him later). The soon-to-be 33-year-old did well for himself on this deal and the Cardinals are hoping that he will continue to be an above-average playmaker in the secondary. Bethea has started all 162 games he’s played since entering the league and he has 19 career interceptions to his name.
The Cardinals added two notable free agents to the linebacking group in Karlos Dansby and Jarvis Jones. Dansby returns to the Cardinals after spending the first six years of his career with them, plus the 2013 season. Dansby night not be a top 15 type like he was in 2013 and 2014, but he’s still quite productive even at his advanced age. The linebacker, 36 in November, had upwards of 100 tackles last year and finished out as Pro Football Focus’ 46th best linebacker out of 87 qualified players.
Jones, a former first round pick, has only posted six sacks in four NFL seasons. He recorded a career-high 43 tackles in 2016, however, and started nine games for the Steelers. He has not lived up to his draft status, but he is still a solid run defender and he could still have some untapped potential. With talented veterans in front of him, the Cardinals will only be using Jones on a limited basis, a role that might suit him well.
Not long ago, Andre Ellington was the main rusher in Arizona. Now, the emergence of David Johnson has pushed him down the pecking order. The Cardinals were exploring the idea of moving Ellington to wide receiver this year, but they abandoned that midway through the offseason. It’s still a good bet that Ellington will make the 53-man cut as a reserve behind Johnson.
Rams defender Michael Brockers fully supports Aaron Donald’s desire for a raise and has no problem with the possibility of him holding out in training camp.
“At the end of the day, that’s our brother,” Brockers told SiriusXM. “We’ll go to war with him and for him. We respect any decision. He deserves it. You look at the record, being the most dominant defensive tackle in the league, and he’s just making all these phenomenal numbers and stuff like that. And, obviously, pay the man. Obviously. He’s put in him some major work for this team and I think he deserves it.”
Donald is slated to have a $3.225MM cap number in 2017 before his salary jumps to $6.892MM in 2018 under the fifth-year option. A new deal for Donald will likely reset the market for defensive tackles and he wants it now, not next year. The 26-year-old has managed 28 sacks during his first three years in the league and last year graded as the NFL’s No. 1 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Despite losing defensive tackle Calais Campbell and safety Tony Jefferson this offseason, the Cardinals are still the team with the best chance of challenging the Seahawks for the NFC West crown, ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia opines. The Cardinals still have question marks, including their passing game and pass protection, but the playmaking ability of David Johnson gives them a chance at making some noise in the division.
- Was the Alex Smith trade a good deal from the 49ers‘ perpsective? Smith is not an elite quarterback, but he has become a great game manager with Kansas City and the Niners watched Colin Kaepernick decline from 2013 onward, Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Smith’s completion percentage was also much higher than Kaepernick’s over the last few years. Still, the trade worked out for the Niners, Lynch argues, because the second-round pick they got in the deal was flipped in order to net five draft picks instead. One of those picks turned out to be Carlos Hyde, the team’s top running back.
- Will the Seahawks miss the playoffs in 2017? Click here to tell us which 2016 division winners will fall short this year.
Here’s a look at the NFC West:
- Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer won’t put a timetable on his retirement. “I love every facet of it,” Palmer told the team’s website. “I don’t want to stop. But I’ll have to wait and make that decision after the season. … There’s always urgency, especially as you get to the second half of your career. You just never know when your last year is going to be.” For now, all Palmer knows is that he is returning in 2017 to serve as Arizona’s starting QB. Last year, the veteran threw for 4,233 yards with 26 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Pro Football Focus had Palmer rated as the No. 17 QB in the NFL – not his best showing, bu tit still put him ahead of guys like Cam Newton, Philip Rivers, and Carson Wentz.
- This is a make-or-break year for Trumaine Johnson, Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News writes. The Rams cornerback is betting on himself, it seems, since he and the Rams are far apart in contract negotiations. If Johnson can turn in a monster year, he’ll get a monster contract to match next spring, whether it comes from L.A. or somewhere else. If not, Johnson may regret turning down whatever multi-year deal is being offered to him at this time. Bonsignore seems to think that Johnson will respond well to the pressure since he’ll be motivated to maximize his value.
- Dan Graziano of ESPN.com ran down the next quarterbacks to get big money deals following Derek Carr‘s brand new pact. Seahawks signal caller Russell Wilson is among those listed, even though his deal runs through 2019. In two summers, however, Wilson could find himself in talks on a deal that could give him an even longer extension than Aaron Rodgers. Wilson will turn 31 in ’19.