Category: Arizona Cardinals

POLL: Will Chiefs or Ravens go to Super Bowl?

Vote in the poll to say whether you think the Chiefs or Ravens will win today’s AFC title game and make it to the Super Bowl.

The AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens is here. It is the sixth straight year for the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. They are 3-2 in the last five years. They have made it to the Super Bowl three times and won twice.

The Ravens are in the title game for the first time with quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The Ravens are favored. They are at home and were the better team in the regular season. The Chiefs, though, are hard to count out.

Who wins this game and makes it to the Super Bowl?

Vote in the poll!

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals have bright outlook in 2024, people from other teams say

There is budding optimism for the Cardinals in 2024 around the league.

The vibes around the Arizona Cardinals, even after a four-win season, are largely positive. They went 3-5 after quarterback Kyler Murray returned from his knee injury.

Things feel good.

The feeling around the league is that the Cardinals will be ready to compete next year, according to people ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spoke to recently.

Arizona is trending up despite its 4-13 clip in 2023. As one NFL offensive coach said, “That’s the best four-win team I’ve seen in a while. They make you earn everything.”

GM Monti Ossenfort has six picks in the first three rounds of the draft to improve the roster.

“[Head coach Jonathan Gannon] seems legit, and they can kill it in the draft,” an AFC scout said. “If they add some vet pieces in free agency, they can surprise some people. Kyler Murray will be better with a full year coming off the ACL [tear].”

There is a belief in the building that the Cardinals can be good next year. Head coach Jonathan Gannon sees great potential.

They need a good offseason and more talent than what is currently on the roster, but the potential is there.

Murray’s play down the stretch would take a mediocre team to winning levels. He went 3-5 with a lack of talent.

With even a below-average defense and better receivers, they would have been in the mix this year.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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NFL playoffs: NFC, AFC Championship Game Sunday schedule

The info you need to watch the two final games before the Super Bowl.

We are down to the final four teams in the NFL playoffs. On Sunday, in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens battle to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. In the NFC, the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers face each other.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is in the AFC title game for the sixth straight year. He has been to three Super Bowls and won two titles.

The Ravens are in the conference championship for the first time since quarterback Lamar Jackson was drafted.

It is the second straight trip to the NFC title game for quarterback Brock Purdy and the 49ers. Last year, he got hurt and the Niners lost.

For Lions quarterback Jared Goff, it is his second trip to the NFC Championship Game, but his last trip came with the Los Angeles Rams.

Are you planning on watching either or both of the games? The info you need is below.

Cardinals have many late-season additions signed for 2024

The Cardinals made sure many of their in-season and late-season additions were signed through 2024.

The Arizona Cardinals went through a lot of different players on the roster in 2023. They made some late-season acquisitions with waiver claims, free agent signings and even signings from off their own practice squad.

In many cases, the Cardinals kept a slightly longer-term perspective. Many of these players were signed through 2024 rather than for just the remainder of the 2023 season.

It appears to be a smart move, giving the players some offseason stability and allowing the Cardinals to have players with a bit of a head start on what they will do next season.

These are the late-season additions to the roster who are signed through this next season.

PODCAST: Should Cardinals extend or trade Budda Baker/Championship weekend best bets

Jess Root and Seth Cox discuss Budda Baker’s future in the latest edition of the podcast and make AFC, NFC title game picks and predictions.

Seth Cox and I team up in the latest edition of the podcast to ask the hardest question of the offseason that no one has talked about yet — what will the Arizona Cardinals do with Budda Baker?

He enters the final year of his contract with no guarantees remaining. Will they extend him or trade him?

We discuss the options and then go over the two conference championship games, discussing our picks and best bets for props in the game.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

Times and topics:

(1:00) Should the Cardinals trade or extend Budda Baker?

(32:52) AFC, NFC title game picks, predictions, prop bets, best bets

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Cardinals have 4 exclusive rights free agents

These four players aren’t under contract for 2024 but can only play for Arizona if they are tendered a contract.

Free agency for the Arizona Cardinals and the rest of the NFL will begin in March. For exclusive rights free agents, it means hoping that their team in 2023 still wants them back.

Exclusive rights free agents are players with fewer than three accrued seasons but are not under contract for the following season. They remain under team control even without a contract.

These players only will be true free agents if their team from the previous season does not tender them a qualifying offer, almost always being for the minimum salary based on years credited.

The Cardinals have four exclusive rights free agents, or four players whom they can re-sign if they want them back. If they tender them a contract, they will be back because they cannot sign elsewhere unless the Cardinals do not offer them a contract.

Who are they? Check them out below.

NFC West news: 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey named PFWA Offensive Player of the Year

McCaffrey was honored by the PFWA after leading the NFL in rushing yards, scrimmage yards and total touchdowns.

The Arizona Cardinals saw twice just how good San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was this season. In two games against the Cardinals, he rushed for 221 yards and four touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

McCaffrey was named by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year for 2023.

McCaffrey led the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards this past season, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt and scoring 14 touchdowns.

He also caught 67 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns.

His 21 total touchdowns led the NFL. His 1,459 rushing yards led the NFL. His 2,023 total yards from scrimmage led the NFL.

McCaffrey’s production is a big reason why the 49ers are in the NFC Championship Game this weekend. He certainly was the main reason why the 49ers beat the Cardinals twice in 2023.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals to face new Rams defense in 2024 as Raheem Morris hired as Falcons HC

After three seasons as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, Raheem Morris is now going to be head coach for the Atlanta Falcons.

The Arizona Cardinals will face a new Los Angeles Rams defense in 2024. The Atlanta Falcons have hired Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to be their new head coach.

Morris used to be an assistant for the Falcons and coached both offense and defense at different times.

He was the Rams’ defensive coordinator for the last three seasons.

The Rams will receive draft compensation for the hiring. Morris is a Black man and, like the San Francisco 49ers with their last two defensive coordinators, will get an extra compensatory third-round pick the next two years because a minority coach on their staff was hired by another team to be head coach.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Bucky Brooks’ new mock draft gives Cardinals Marvin Harrison Jr., O-lineman

Brooks’ first mock draft has the Cardinals taking an Arizona lineman late in the first round.

We are seeing the first round of major mock drafts from NFL draft experts in 2024. Because the Arizona Cardinals have two selections in the first round, it makes sense that fans will pay attention.

NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks released his first mock draft of the season and it has three quarterbacks being selected with the first three picks of the draft. The Chicago Bears take USC quarterback Caleb Williams, followed by the Washington Commanders selecting North Carolina’s Drake Maye and the New England Patriots selecting LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

That leaves every non-quarterback for the Cardinals.

Who do they land in these projections?

POLL: Grade Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft for the Cardinals

What do you think of Daniel Jeremiah’s selections for the Cardinals in his first mock draft of the year?

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently released his first mock draft of the year and for the Arizona Cardinals, he had them taking Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall and then, with the 27th pick in the draft, going with Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean.

Harrison is obviously a home run of a pick and most Cardinals fans would love for him to land in Arizona.

The question is whether or not fans would like the selection of DeJean at the end of the first round with the pick the Cardinals got from the Houston Texans in their draft-day trade last year.

What do you think about Jeremiah’s first mock draft for the Cardinals? Vote in the poll!

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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