Cardinals Re-Sign Brett Hundley, Chris Banjo
The Cardinals are re-signing QB Brett Hundley, the team announced. Hundley joined Arizona last March after serving as Russell Wilson‘s clipboard holder in Seattle in 2018.
Hundley, who at one time was viewed as a potential starter, has settled in as a QB2. He was drafted by the Packers in the fifth round of the 2015 draft and saw his most extended action in 2017, when Aaron Rodgers was lost to injury. Hundley went 3-6 in his nine starts for Green Bay that year, and the Packers traded him to the Seahawks in August 2018 in exchange for a sixth-round selection.
The former UCLA standout was Kyler Murray‘s backup for Murrary’s rookie campaign in 2019, and Arizona apparently likes the current layout of its quarterback room. Like Murray, one of Hundley’s best assets is his legs, so the team would not need to alter its offense too much if something should happen to Murray.
The Cardinals will also re-sign safety Chris Banjo, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Banjo has long been respected for his work as a special teams ace, and he will reprise that role with Arizona in 2020.
The former UDFA spent the first three-plus years of his career with the Packers, and he caught on with the Saints in November 2016. New Orleans actually agreed to a three-year extension with Banjo last March, but he surprisingly did not survive final roster cuts. He went on a few workouts after being cut by New Orleans and ultimately signed with the Cards.
Cardinals To Sign Chris Banjo
The Cardinals have agreed to sign special teams ace Chris Banjo, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Banjo visited Arizona on Tuesday and, less than 24 hours later, he has a deal.
Banjo spent roughly two-and-a-half years with New Orleans and appeared in every game for the club between 2017 and 2018. The 29-year-old is known for his aggressiveness, which is something the Cardinals could use as they look to steer out of a two-game losing skid.
Like many special teamers, Banjo’s traditional stats do not jump off of the page. He has 41 career tackles to his credit, but he’s a well-respected punt coverage gunner who can also provide depth at safety.
On the depth chart, he’ll sit behind starters D.J. Swearinger and Budda Baker. For now, the plan is to keep Baker at free safety, with D.J. Swearinger playing strong safety, but the club might have to consider moving Baker up front to help stop opposing tight ends. Through three weeks, they’ve allowed a combined 318 yards to T.J. Hockensen, Mark Andrews, and Greg Olsen.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/24/19
Here is the latest from the workout circuit:
Arizona Cardinals
- S Chris Banjo (Twitter link via the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson)
Atlanta Falcons
- DE Jonathan Bonner, DE Hunter Dimick (Twitter link via Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com)
Buffalo Bills
- WR Quincy Adeboyejo, WR Reggie Davis, WR J.J. Jones, WR Darvin Kidsy, WR J’Mon Moore (Twitter link via Wilson)
Detroit Lions
- C Russell Bodine, OL Tyler Gauthier, DL Joel Heath, DL Frank Herron, DL Zach Kerr, DL Mike Pennel (Twitter link via Wilson)
Indianapolis Colts
- S Kentrell Brice, S Deiondre’ Hall, S A.J. Hendy, S Shalom Luani, DB Lafayette Pitts (per Wilson, on Twitter)
Miami Dolphins
- WR Emanuel Hall, WR Andy Jones, WR Damoun Patterson, WR DeAndre Thompkins (per Balzer, on Twitter)
New York Jets
- DB Blake Countess (per Wilson, on Twitter)
Oakland Raiders
- LB Reshard Cliett, LB Quentin Poling, LB Tegray Scales (Twitter link via Wilson)
Seattle Seahawks
- OL Brandon Hitner (via Wilson, on Twitter)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- QB Taryn Christion, RB Quinton Flowers, DB John Franklin, WR Ishmael Hyman, WR Marcus Johnson, WR Codey McElroy, WR Jaydon Mickens, QB Phillip Walker (via Balzer, on Twitter)
Tennessee Titans
- LB Davin Bellamy, LB Tre’ Crawford, DT Lyndon Johnson, LB Ahmad Thomas, DE Kevin Wilkins, LB Trevon Young (per Balzer, on Twitter)
NFL Workout Updates: 9/10/19
We’ve got another busy day of workouts, with many teams across the league hosting players.
Arizona Cardinals
- S Briean Boddy-Calhoun; CBs Andre Chachere, De’Vante Harris
Buffalo Bills
- QBs Keller Chryst, Taylor Heinicke; WRs Tommylee Lewis, Joe Parker, Terrance Williams; CB Marcus Sherels, WR Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
- DEs Jesse Aniebonam, Andrew Ankrah, Markus Jones; S Josh Jones; CB Jeff Richards
Indianapolis Colts
- RBs Bruce Anderson, Darrin Hall; S Chris Banjo; DTs Earl Mitchell, Mike Pennel
Miami Dolphins
- DB Jordan Brown; Ts Christian DiLauro, Storm Norton, Chidi Okeke; CB Deatrick Nichols
New York Giants
- CBs Derrick Baity, Picasso Nelson; LBs Reshard Cliett, LaTroy Lewis; WRs Jamal Custis, Trenton Irwin; RBs Josh Ferguson, Austin Walter; DT P.J. Johnson; DEs Carroll Phillips, Kevin Wilkins; QB Jordan Ta’amu
New York Jets
- WRs Carlton Agudosi, Amara Darboh, Krishawn Hogan, Joe Horn, DeAndre Thompkins, Jordan Veasy, Kendall Wright; TEs Stephen Anderson, Donald Parham, Ross Travis; QBs Taryn Christion, Tyree Jackson, Mike White, Ks Elliott Fry, Greg Joseph, Younghoe Koo, Tristan Vizcaino
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Washington Redskins
NFL Workout Updates: 9/7/19
We’ve got another big batch of workouts, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter).
Cleveland Browns
- DT Ricky Walker
Houston Texans
- Ps Ryan Allen, Matt Wile; LB Christian Kuntz; LS Carson Tinker
Indianapolis Colts
- LB Tre’ Crawford; DE Jamell Garcia-Williams; CBs Quenton Meeks, Jackson Porter; S Jonathan Owens
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WRs Terry Godwin, Ishmael Hyman; RB Jeremy McNichols; P Brock Miller
Minnesota Vikings
- Safeties Briean Boddy-Calhoun, C.J. Reavis; DT Anthony Zettel
New England Patriots
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Safeties Andrew Adams, Chris Banjo; OTs Dino Boyd, Pace Murphy, Josh Wells; G Bryan Witzmann
The Texans could be looking for specialist help, as they worked out a pair of punters and a longsnapper. Boddy-Calhoun, who worked out for the Vikings, is probably the biggest name on this list. He started at least seven games for the Browns each of the past three seasons, but was released by Houston at final cuts.
Chris Banjo Visiting Eagles
Special teams specialist Chris Banjo will meet with the Eagles on Monday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Saints dropped Banjo from the roster over the weekend, putting a scrappy safety in the mix for 31 other teams. 
As a vested veteran, Banjo did not have to pass through the waiver wire before gaining contractual freedom. His stat line rarely shows it, but Banjo is a bonafide difference maker in the third facet of the game.
The Saints, it seemed, had big plans for Banjo after he re-signed on a one-year, $6.9MM deal with $2.65MM guaranteed. That wasn’t meant to be, but he could quickly catch on with another NFC contender.
Saints Reach 53-Man Max
Good news for Saints fans, and fans of lists in general. The Saints have reached the 53-man max – here’s the full rundown.
Released:
- Chris Banjo, S
- Michael Burton, FB
- Michael Ola, OT
Waived:
- Dan Arnold, TE
- Emmanuel Butler, WR
- T.J. Green, DB
- Porter Gustin, LB
- Marcus Henry, C
- Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR
- Derrick Kelly, OL
- Alize Mack, TE
- Devine Ozigbo, DL
- Terrell Williams Jr., DB
Placed on IR:
- Marshall Newhouse, OL
- Marcus Sherels, CB
- Cameron Tom, C/G
Contract Details: Paradis, Saffold, Jackson, Packers
Following another busy day around the NFL, let’s check out some contract details:
- Matt Paradis, C (Panthers): Three years, $27.03MM. $10MM guaranteed at signing, $9MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2019), $5.5MM (2020), $7.03MM (2021). Pair of voidable years at the end of deal. Twitter links via Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Rodger Saffold, OL (Titans): Four years, $44MM, $22.5MM guaranteed. $9.5MM signing bonus. Salaries: $3.5MM (2019), $9.5MM (2020), $9.5MM (2021), $9MM (2022). $1MM roster bonus on fifth day of 2022 league year. Twitter link via Wilson.
- Kareem Jackson, DB (Broncos): Three years, $33MM, $23MM guaranteed. First two years are fully guaranteed, including $3MM salary in 2019 and $11MM salary in 2020. $10MM 2021 salary to be exercised at end of 2020 league year. Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News in Denver.
- Billy Turner, OL (Packers): Four years, $28MM. $9MM guaranteed, all via signing bonus. 2019 cap hit is $4.25MM. Salaries: $1.35MM (2019), $1.75MM (2020), $4.15MM (2021), $5.2MM (2020). Twitter link via Goessling, ESPN link via Rob Demovsky.
- Chris Banjo, S (Packers): One year. $6.9MM, $2.65MM guaranteed, $1.8MM signing bonus. Up to $700K in yearly playing-time incentives. Twitter link via Wilson.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/19
Here are today’s minor moves:
New Orleans Saints
- Extended: S Chris Banjo
The Saints gave Banjo a three-year extension, which Ian Rapoport tweets is worth up to $9MM. However, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com hears the $9MM figure “might not be completely accurate” (Twitter link). Banjo doesn’t play much on defense, he played just 5% of the team’s defensive snaps on defense, but he’s a key contributor on special teams. Banjo was an undrafted free agent in 2013, and spent the first three-plus years of his career with the Packers. He’s been with the Saints since mid-2016.
Extra Points: Bouye, Landry, Marshall, Mixon
A.J. Bouye‘s staggering rise from unknown RFA to one of the most coveted UFAs on this year’s market did not come completely unbeknownst to the Texans. Houston offered its undrafted gem a multiyear contract in 2016 at a “significant raise,” but Bouye opted to bet on himself, Peter King of TheMMQB.com reports. Bouye signed the low-end RFA tender last March, worth $1.67MM, setting up his dominant breakout campaign. His market is set to be north of $12MM per year as Day 2 of the legal tampering period gets underway, and while the Texans are in on it, they could lose him to a division rival.
Here’s more from around the league with free agency barely a day away.
- The Dolphins have received trade inquiries on wide receiver Jarvis Landry, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. However, the team has no real interest in trading him. Late in their 2016 season, the Dolphins were working on an extension plan for their slot target, so it’s a good bet the team’s most consistent weapon stays in Miami. The two-time Pro Bowl wideout has posted back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons, doing so in two different schemes.
- The prospect of staying in New York would on the surface allow Brandon Marshall to continue being a rare in-season media regular, but Judy Battista of NFL.com notes (on Twitter) the Giants and Jets’ schedules aren’t structured equally. Inside the NFL tapes on Tuesdays, when many teams give their players off days, but Battista points out the Giants work on Tuesdays. This might not be a deal-breaker, though, with Marshall having established himself on the long-running weekly show the past two years and signing with the only other team that would keep him in the city.
- Between Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon is set to meet with 24 teams in total as a part of his pro day gauntlet, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Mixon met with the Bengals, Browns, Lions and Saints on Tuesday night, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (via Twitter), in advance of what will be a critical showcase for the controversial running back.
- Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris was arrested for felony possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. A converted basketball player, Harris saw his role increase last season. The third-year pass-catcher saw 476 snaps and caught 17 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, but Pro Football Focus graded him as its worst full-time tight end.
- Chris Banjo‘s two-year deal with the Saints will pay him $2.6MM with another $500K available through incentives, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.