The franchise tag deadline has passed and the Arizona Cardinals opted not to use theirs on their all-time leader in sacks, Chandler Jones.
Jones, 32, is currently set to hit the open market after he and the organization failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension last offseason, where he reportedly requested a trade out of Arizona.
The Cardinals opted to let fellow edge rusher Haason Reddick walk in free agency after a 12.5-sack season, and the assumption was that money was to be spent on Jones, who was returning from a season-ending biceps injury. The argument against Reddick was that he had only played one season at outside linebacker, but that argument was invalidated after he posted 11 sacks with the Panthers this season. It remains in question what the front office’s plans for the position are if they let both Reddick and Jones walk.
The situation surrounding Jones is, to this point, similar to the departures of former defensive standouts Patrick Peterson and Calais Campbell, where the players heard little to nothing from Steve Keim and eventually moved on elsewhere.
Team owner Michael Bidwill recently stated he would like Chandler Jones back, but the ‘devil is in the details.’
Given that Jones will be allowed to speak to other teams on March 14th, his return to the Cardinals, given past events, does not seem likely.
After posting five sacks in the season opener against the Titans, Jones only had 5.5 more the rest of the season. There were some games where he did not look like the Chandler Jones we had grown accustomed to. He received a ton of criticism, which unfortunately came from Cardinals fans as much as others.
— ♛Chandler Jones (@chanjones55) February 23, 2022
Despite the down year for Jones, the Cardinals would be wise to re-sign the Pro Bowler. The current free agent edge rusher class was significantly depleted when the Titans re-signed Harold Landry to a multi-year extension on Tuesday. That leaves Jones and Haason Reddick as the top options of the class, the latter of which likely has no desire to return to the team that ghosted him just a year ago.
Towards the end of the season, the Cardinals relied heavily on three-man rush schemes due to shortcomings in the secondary. That made it very difficult on Jones, especially coming off a bout with COVID-19. When the Cardinals’ cornerback room was playing at a competent level in the first half of the season, Jones was much more effective.
Spotrac currently has Jones’ market value at approximately $15 million per year. Given that the Cardinals signed J.J. Watt for an annual average of $14 million per year, it’s safe to assume that would be the floor for Jones.
Jones is a locker room leader and one of the franchise’s icons. The acquisition of the former Patriot in 2016 is one of Steve Keim’s best moves as a general manager. It would be foolish to let one of the league’s top free agents walk, when a gaping hole at the position would open up in a pivotal year for the team.
All it takes is one team to outbid the Cardinals, but they should be doing everything they can to re-sign the future member of their Ring of Honor.
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