To whatever degree people talk about the Arizona Cardinals’ safety group, the conversation usually begins and ends with Budda Baker, the former Washington star selected in the second round of the 2017 draft. Baker is a dynamic player, and he’s certainly been paid as such — the Cardinals rewarded him for his exploits on the field with a four-year, $59 million contract extension in 2020 that makes him the sixth highest-paid safety in the NFL on a per-year basis.
But Baker isn’t the only Cardinals safety playing well these days. He’s not even the only one who went to a college in the Pacific Northwest, and now, he’s not the only one who’s been paid. On Friday, the Cardinals signed Jalen Thompson, the fourth-year man from Washington State taken in the fifth round of the 2019 supplemental draft, to a three-year, $40 million contract extension with $24.5 million in guaranteed money.
Baker may be a missile all over the field, but if you want intermediate and deep coverage from your safety, Thompson is the guy. Last season, he allowed 40 catches on 53 targets for 449 yards, 177 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, three interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 89.3.
It was his best season to date, and Thompson wants more.
“I’m trying to go Pro Bowl this year,” Thompson said during training camp. “Last year I feel I could’ve made it. Unfortunately I didn’t. But (goals are) making the Pro Bowl, making my team better, being a leader, and getting to a Super Bowl.”
That may not be in the cards for these Cardinals, but as underrated as Thompson has been in a national sense, he has no problem proving his worth at the NFL level.