Cardinals, DeAndre Hopkins Nearing Deal
The Cardinals and DeAndre Hopkins are nearing agreement on a contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Hopkins – who left CAA earlier this summer – negotiated the contract himself. 
Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it could very well position him as the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. That title currently belongs to Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, who’s earning $23.5MM per season. Anything over $22MM per year on average would vault Hopkins to the top of the wide receiver list, ahead of Falcons star Julio Jones.
Hopkins has three years to go on his original Texans deal, which pays him just $12.5MM this year. Beyond that, he’s got two more seasons of below-market, non-guaranteed pay. The three-time First-Team All-Pro has averaged 90+ catches, ~1,230 yards, and eight touchdowns per year in the NFL. Meanwhile, he ranks ninth among all wide receivers in average annual value, behind Jones, Amari Cooper, Michael Thomas, A.J. Green, Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham, Mike Evans, and Brandin Cooks.
The Cardinals knew that extension talks were on the horizon with Hopkins when they pulled off their stunning trade in March. It won’t come cheap but, on the plus side, they didn’t give up much to acquire one of the game’s most dangerous offensive players. For a net cost of David Johnson and a second-round pick, they now tout Hopkins as their top receiver ahead of Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk.
Cardinals Sign DE Angelo Blackson
The Cardinals are bolstering their defensive line. Arizona has added recently cut former Texans defensive end Angelo Blackson to its 53-man roster, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
Blackson signed a three-year $12MM extension with Houston in March of 2019, but couldn’t make it through that pact. Blackson started 15 games last year and played around 40 percent of the defensive snaps, but he wasn’t too productive as he finished with only 20 tackles and no sacks.
A fourth-round pick back in 2015, Blackson was originally drafted by the Titans and spent his first two years in Tennessee. He was then cut and spent time on the Patriots’ practice squad before finding a home in Houston. He took a pay cut a few weeks ago which dropped his salary from $4MM to $2.5MM, but even that wasn’t enough to save his roster spot.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/4/20
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: DT Miles Brown, WR Hakeem Butler, OL Sam Jones, P Ryan Winslow
- Waived/injured: OL Brett Toth
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: DT Hinwa Allieu, FB Mikey Daniel, T Evin Ksiezarczyk, RB Craig Reynolds
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: FB Patrick DiMarco
- Waived: LB Vosean Joseph, LB Corey Thompson
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Tommylee Lewis
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: T Brady Aiello
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: OL Cody Wichmann
Detroit Lions
- Waived: WR Chris Lacy
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: DE Caraun Reid
- Waived: RB Nathan Cottrell, TE Matthew Flanagan, OL Blake Hance, OL K.C. McDermott, OL Garrett McGhin, LS Matthew Orzech, OL Ryan Pope, OL Austen Pleasants, WR Marvelle Ross
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: DB Adonis Alexander, LB Daniel Bituli, TE Kendall Blanton, C Cohl Cabral, G Jamil Demby, WR Earnest Edwards, DB Jake Gervase, DB JuJu Hughes, RB John Kelly, G Jeremiah Kolone, WR J.J. Koski, DB Dayan Lake, DB Tyrique McGhee, LB Derrick Moncrief, WR Easop Winston
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: RB Salvon Ahmed, DB Nate Brooks, CB Breon Borders, DT Brandin Bryant, WR Matt Cole, T Jonathan Hubbard, G Danny Isidora, WR Kirk Merritt, TE Chris Myarick, CB Ken Webster, TE Nate Wieting
New York Jets
- Waived: LB James Burgess
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: DB Michael Jacquet, DE Matt Leo, TE Caleb Wilson
- Released: DT T.Y. McGill, CB Trevor Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DE Jonathan Kongbo
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: OL Zack Bailey, RB Ray Calais, ILB Noah Dawkins, S D’Cota Dixon, K Matt Gay (story), WR Cyril Grayson, S Javon Hagan, TE Tanner Hudson, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, OL Nick Leverett, TE Codey McElroy, CB Herb Miller, WR Bryant Mitchell, RB Dare Ogunbowale, WR Josh Pearson, DL Benning Potoa’e, ILB Chapelle Russell, WR Spencer Schnell, QB Reid Sinnett, CB Mazzi Wilkins
Cardinals Rework D.J. Humphries’ Contract
The Cardinals converted $10.59MM of D.J. Humphries’ base salary into a signing bonus, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The move will free up more than $7MM in cap room, giving Arizona some much-needed flexibility in advance of Saturday’s roster deadline. When valuable vets become cap casualties, the Cardinals will have enough space to get involved.
Humphries, 26, agreed to a three-year, $45MM extension in February, making him the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid tackle at the time of signing. The deal gave Humphries some long-term security instead of playing on a one-year franchise tender at a similar ~$15MM rate. There isn’t much that changes for the former first-round pick – he’ll still receive $30MM over the first two years of the deal, a pact that contains more than 50% guaranteed cash.
Humphries has been battered, but the Cardinals are sold on him as Kyler Murray‘s blind-side protector for years to come. The Cardinals had not seen Humphries play 16 games until this past season. From 2017-18, he played five and nine, respectively. Knee issues sidelined Humphries during those slates, which came after a 2015 rookie season in which he was inactive throughout. Still, he stands as one of the most talented young tackles in the game, and one of Steve Keim‘s rare quality first-round picks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/20
Here are the NFL’s most recent minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: TE Ryan Becker, OL Steven Gonzalez, CB Zane Lewis, DE Adam Shuler
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: DE John Daka, WR Michael Dereus, C Sean Pollard
- Placed on IR: WR DeAndrew White
Chicago Bears
- Re-Signed: RB Napoleon Maxwell
- Placed on IR: CB Michael Joseph
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT Olive Sagapolu
- Placed on IR: FB Nick Bawden
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Andy Jones
- Waived: LB James Crawford
New York Jets
- Claimed (from Cardinals): CB Zane Lewis
- Waived: K Brett Maher
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DL Alex Barrett
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Lance Lenoir
- Placed on IR: Branden Jackson
- Waived/injured: RB Patrick Carr
Washington Football Team
- Signed: WR Tony Brown
- Waived: WR Darvin Kidsy
Cardinals Cut CB B.W. Webb
B.W. Webb‘s stint with the Cardinals lasted all of (*checks calendar*) six days. ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that Arizona has cut the veteran cornerback.
The Cardinals signed the 30-year-old to a one-year deal last Friday, and it was believed he’d fill in for the injured Robert Alford (who suffered a season-ending pec injury). However, the team has since added some depth to their secondary, as they signed both Ken Crawley and Dre Kirkpatrick. With the cornerbacks room getting increasingly crowded, the Cardinals apparently saw no use for Webb.
It was only last offseason that Webb was able to snag a two-year, $10.5MM deal from the Bengals, but he only lasted a single season in Cincinnati. He ultimately started 12 of his 15 games in 2019, compiling 37 tackles, one interception, and seven passes defended. He was released by Cincy back in March.
However, he had a stronger season in 2018 as a member of the Giants. As our own Zach Links pointed out last week, Webb ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No.77 cornerback, putting him on the same tier as the likes of Morris Claiborne, Marcus Peters, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Jimmy Smith. Thanks in part to those metrics, it wouldn’t be shocking if Webb catches on with another squad before the season begins.
Cardinals, Budda Baker Agree To Record-Breaking Extension
Budda Baker is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history. On Tuesday, the Cardinals agreed to a four-year, $59MM extension with their young standout defender (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). 
[RELATED: Cardinals To Sign Dre Kirkpatrick]
Baker’s deal includes a whopping $33.1MM guaranteed and comes out to an annual average of $14.75MM. Before the re-up, Baker was set to earn just $1.396MM in base pay in the walk year of his rookie deal. With that, Baker tops the previous watermark set by Bears safety Eddie Jackson, who signed a four-year, $58.4MM extension with the Bears earlier this year.
The 24-year-old has impressed across three pro seasons, though he has never intercepted a pass as a pro. He has, however, notched 323 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 14 passes defensed in total. Last year, he registered 104 solo stops to lead the league. Baker appeared as a slot corner earlier in his career, but he’s clearly found a home as a safety.
With Baker, edge rusher Chandler Jones, cornerback Patrick Peterson, and versatile rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmons, the Cardinals boast one of the league’s most intriguing defenses. They’ll look to put it all together in 2020 and improve on their 5-10-1 mark from last year.
Baker’s deal has surely captured the attention of new Seahawks safety Jamal Adams. Adams has spent years lobbying for a market-setting contract and he’ll surely leapfrog Baker in 2021. For now, Adams has agreed to table the talks.
NFL Workout Updates: 8/24/20
Here are Monday’s notable workouts:
Arizona Cardinals
- LB Devante Bond
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
- LB Darron Lee
Las Vegas Raiders
- LB Sharif Finch, CB KeiVarae Russell
Minnesota Vikings
- LB Bryce Hager
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Greg Dortch, WR Shelton Gibson
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/20
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: CB Duke Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on reserve/retired list: CB Ike Brown
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: C Casey Dunn
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: LB Justin Strnad (wrist)
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: TE Ian Bunting
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Chris Smith
- Waived/injured: LB Nick Usher
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/injured: LB Curtis Weaver
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: ST Johnson Bademosi
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: WR Spencer Schnell
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Walt Aikens
Cardinals To Sign Dre Kirkpatrick
The Cardinals are planning to sign Dre Kirkpatrick, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The free agent cornerback is currently meeting with team brass and the one-year deal should be finalized once he passes his physical. 
Kirkpatrick will reunite with his former positional coach, Vance Joseph. Joseph, now the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, helped guide Kirkpatrick through some of his formative years with the Bengals.
Robert Alford‘s latest injury has left the Cardinals thin at cornerback once again. As it stands, they have 2019 second-rounder Byron Murphy as their top counterpart for star Patrick Peterson. Their recent additions of B.W. Webb and former Saints starter Ken Crawley may help, but Kirkpatrick would bring experience and a first-round pedigree to the group.
Kirkpatrick has also been connected to the Vikings and Raiders this offseason, thanks to connections with former coaches Mike Zimmer and Paul Guenther. Nothing materialized on either front, however, leaving Kirkpatrick to wait.
Kirkpatrick played just six games last season before he was sidelined by a knee injury. In the offseason, the Bengals dropped him to save $8.3MM against the cap. Now 30, Kirkpatrick comes to Arizona with 67 starts under his belt and the potential to help salvage Joseph’s pass coverage corps.