Tag: Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals bolster offensive, defensive lines in new 2-round mock draft

In a Super Bowl Sunday mock draft, the Cardinals gran DL Walter Nolen in Round 1 and OL Wyatt Milum in Round 2.

It is Super Bowl Sunday, but the Arizona Cardinals aren’t playing in it, so for the fans of 30 of the 32 teams not competing for the world championship, Draft Wire managing editor Jeff Risdon has a new two-round mock draft to consider.

The top pick in the draft is Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who lands with the Tennessee Titans, and the New York Giants take Colorado quarterback Shadeur Sanders third overall.

The Arizona Cardinals pass on a talented and productive pass rusher with the 16th pick to select Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen.

Nolen’s ability to win dynamically in multiple gaps in both the run and pass game make a nice potential fit in coach Jonathan Gannon’s defensive front. Kenneth Grant is among several other options here.

This selection might bring up a little bit of past trauma for Cardinals fans, who will remember the last time the Cardinals selected a Mississippi defensive lineman in the first round, Robert Nkemdiche.

However, Nolen is different. He isn’t the athletic freak that Nkemdiche was and, per his NFL.com draft profile, “Nobody questions how talented he is and how hard he plays.”

Nolen is a high-effort player.

He is 6-foot-3 and 293 pounds. He played two seasons for Texas A&M before transferring to Ole Miss, and he had his most productive season, logging 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.

The Cardinals have a solid group of four defensive linemen returning with veterans Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, third-year player Dante Stills and 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson. Adding a player of Nolen’s talent would never be a bad thing.

However, in taking Nolen, they pass on promising edge rusher Mike Green out of Marshall, who had massive production last season, leading the nation with 17 sacks, and looking great at the Senior Bowl. Green gets selected with the very next pick.

In the second round, the Cardinals get West Virginia offensive lineman Wyatt Milum.

The 6-foot-6, 317-pounder played tackle for the Mountaineers. However, his shorter arms (under 33 inches) might make him a better guard. That is no matter. The Cardinals need guards, as Will Hernandez, Evan Brown and Trystan Colon all will be free agents next month.

Would the Cardinals be better off addressing the edge with one of the two picks, especially with a player like Green on the board in Round 1? Perhaps, but getting offensive or defensive line help would never be a bad thing.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Super Bowl 59 has 5 former Cardinals

A look at the former Arizona Cardinals players on the two teams in the Super Bowl.

The Arizona Cardinals did not make the Super Bowl. They didn’t make the postseason. The two teams in Super Bowl LIX are the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

Both teams have former Cardinals on their rosters. The Eagles have one former Cardinal on their active roster. The Chiefs have three former Cardinals on theirs and another on their practice squad.

Who are they?

Former Cardinals in Super Bowl LIX

Kansas City Chiefs

  • WR Hollywood Brown

Brown played two seasons for the Cardinals before signing with the Chiefs in free agency last year.

  • WR DeAndre Hopkins

Hopkins started the season with the Tennessee Titans but was traded to the Chiefs. He played three seasons for the Cardinals from 2020-2022 and set the franchise single-season record for receptions in a season when he hauled in 115 passes in 2020.

  • OT D.J. Humphries

Humphries signed late in the season with the Chiefs and is back after hurting his hamstring. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round in 2015 and played nine seasons for them. He was their starting left tackle for the final seven. He was cut in the offseason while recovering from a torn ACL.

  • RB Keaontay Ingram

Ingram is on the Chiefs’ practice squad. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round in 2022 and played a season and a half for them before he was released.

Philadelphia Eagles

  • OL Brett Toth

The Cardinals had Toth in 2019 and then in the 2020 offseason and preseason before getting waived with an injury. He has not played a game this season.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Kyler Murray was in top 10 for Comeback Player of the Year

Murray was 10th in Comeback Player of the Year voting after coming in ninth in 2023.

The NFL announced its biggest player awards Thursday night at the NFL Honors ceremony. The Comeback Player of the Year was Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the overwhelming winner. He received 31 of the 50 first-place votes, earning a total of 370 points. Running back J.K. Dobbins came in second with 195 points.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray also received votes. He finished 10th in voting with 21 points, receiving one second-place vote, two third-place votes, fourth fourth-place votes and a pair of fifth-place votes.

Murray played a full season and led the Cardinals to eight wins after coming back in 2023 from his ACL tear. He passed for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 2024, and he rushed for 572 yards and five scores.

Last year, he finished ninth in Comeback Player of the Year voting.

Coming off a healthy season in which he played pretty well, we should expect him to get exactly zero votes next year.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

A ridiculous mock draft, revisiting Carson Palmer’s finger injury

Jess Root and Seth Cox have anew edition of the podcast.

In a new offseason episode of the podcast, cohost Seth Cox and I had a couple of topics to cover. While we normally don’t go crazy about questionable mock drafts, we had to comment on a new two-round mock draft from ESPN’s Matt Miller.

We also talked about some new information (only nine years after the fact) about the injury to quarterback Carson Palmer’s finger at the end of the 2015 season.

Finally, we talk about Super Bowl LIX and make our picks and predictions, and we give you our best bets for the big game.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube 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) The crazy two-cornerback mock draft

(15:09) Revisiting Carson Palmer’s 2015 finger injury

(23:40) Super Bowl picks, predictions, best bets

Contract projection for this Cardinals OL free agent is crazy!

Wait, Trystan Colon is projected to make how much in a new contract?

The Arizona Cardinals have 20 players scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. Several of them are offensive linemen; namely, tackle Kelvin Beachum and guards Evan Brown, Will Hernandez and Trystan Colon.

Beachum, Brown and Hernandez have been longtime starters in their careers. Colon has not been. He has starting experience (15 starts in 51 career games, including 11 in two seasons with the Cardinals), but he doesn’t figure to be a hot commodity in the open market.

Well, one would think that.

Spotrac projects the market value of many free agents. It has a crazy projection for Colon, the least accomplished of all the Cardinals’ free agent offensive linemen.

How much is he projected to get? How about $16.6 million a year?

Apparently, based on his play, performance and age, Spotrac’s statistical model believes Colon is worth a huge deal.

That would likely be the biggest free agent surprise of the decade.

While Colon will certainly be signed by a team. He is versatile. He has experience. But he has also never started more than seven games in a season and was benched last year.

Perhaps he will return to Arizona. I just won’t be anywhere near that price.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Fox Sports commentator suggests Steelers trade for Cardinals QB Kyler Murray

A Fox Sports commentator believes the Steelers would trade for Kyler Murray, but is this a realistic move for Pittsburgh?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to massive wide receiver trade rumors over the past several years, with speculation surrounding WRs Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams, D.K. Metcalf, and Cooper Kupp, just to name a few.

However, one Fox Sports commentator known for his outlandish hot takes, Nick Wright, has boldly declared that the Pittsburgh Steelers should target another position—quarterback.

Speaking with Phoenix Sports, Wright was asked how he would handle the Cardinals-Kyler Murray situation heading into 2025:

“I would call Pittsburgh and be like, ‘You want to give me a couple first-round picks?’ and then we can reboot it [trading Murray to Pittsburgh].”

As if the idea of the Steelers trading away two firsts for a struggling QB wasn’t enough, Wright continued to throw more gas on the fire:

“Kyler’s in a spot where he’s paid like a star, and he’s not quite a star. Pittsburgh would probably do it because they just need someone that’s not a bridge quarterback.”

If the Steelers are searching for something more than a bridge QB, the team should ultimately re-sign Justin Fields—not trade their future away for an unproven, injury-prone quarterback.

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Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill sued by personal assistant

Bidwill is subject to another lawsuit because of his workplace conduct.

Just when things had been quiet so far this offseason with the Arizona Cardinals, Friday morning brought a bombshell. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill is being sued by his former personal assistant for wrongful discharge.

Brittany Neuheisel was Bidwill’s personal assistant from 2019 until last month, when, according to Pro Football Talk, she resigned. As of Friday morning, she was still listed on the official team site as the assistant to the owner.

Neuheisel filed suit on Thursday at the Maricopa County Superior Court, accusing Bidwill of “counts for constructive discharge, wrongful discharge, discrimination based on age, gender, and religion, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

The accusations are wild.

You can read a full thread of the complaint on Twitter/X.

Among the accusations are:

  • She was instructed to ship a firearm with FedEx and disregard necessary restrictions.
  • Bidwill demanded that she provide false information on international disclosures related to his travel by private plane.
  • He fired the team’s former CFO because he had hired a trans-woman in the accounting department.
  • He got her involved with family conflicts, including filming the reclaiming and sale of a car Bidwill had given to his niece, pressuring her to agree with what he wanted her to do.
  • He forced her to take care of his dog that had previously attacked her.
  • When the Cardinals hosted the Los Angeles Rams’ playoff game last month, he “directed a tirade at Neuheisel when Rams owner Stan Kroenke didn’t personally visit the suite to thank Bidwill for his hospitality.”

Bidwill has already been subject to a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal, as former team executive Terry McDonough also sued him and was awarded $3 million.

This will be a situation to pay attention to.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Countdown to Larry Fitzgerald’s Hall of Fame selection begins!

Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald headlines the players in their first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame in 2026.

The NFL announced on Thursday the newest Pro Football Hall of Fame class at the NFL Honors ceremony. The newest members of the Hall of Fame are Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates and Sterling Sharpe.

With the induction of the 2025 class, the countdown has officially begun for next year’s class, which has one very important name for Arizona Cardinals fans.

It will be the first year that Cardinals legendary receiver Larry Fitzgerald is eligible to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He is arguably the headliner of an impressive group of players who enter their first year of eligibility next year.

He and Drew Brees are likely the two players most likely to make it in their first year of eligibility.

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray certainly thinks so, as he made that clear on social media, replying to a list of the players becoming eligible next year, simply stating “first ballot,” referring to Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald played his entire 17-year career with the Cardinals. He holds virtually every franchise receiving record and trails only Jerry Rice all-time for career receptions and career receiving yards.

It will be a big year for Cardinals fans in that sense. He retired from the NFL without any announcement, so fans have not yet been able to publicly celebrate his career. A Hall of Fame nod would probably trigger some ceremony or recognition at a game and also probably the retiring of No. 11, so that no player ever wears it again (no one has since his retirement).

If next year’s NFL Honors ceremony is again the Thursday night before Super Bowl LV, then we can mark Feb. 5, 2026 as the day for Larry Legend’s Hall of Fame selection — in 363 days.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

 

 

Cardinals viewed as possible landing spot for Myles Garrett

Betting odds have the Cardinals at +1200 to have Myles Garrett this next season.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has requested a trade. He wants to play for a contender and not wait any longer for the Browns to be good enough to compete.

The Arizona Cardinals have a serious need of an impact pass rusher and Garrett could be a game changer for them, although acquiring him would not be cheap.

However, the belief is that Garrett to the Cardinals is at least a reasonably viable possibility.

According to Covers.com, the betting odds from Draft Kings for Garrett going to the Cardinals are +1200 (12/1 fractional odds, or implied odds of 7.69%).

Seven teams have shorter odds then them, with Cleveland remaining the favorite to retain him at +300 odds. The other teams with shorter odds than the Cardinals are as follows:

  • Washington Commanders +450
  • Las Vegas Raiders +650
  • Detroit Lions +750
  • New England Patriots +850
  • Green Bay Packers +950
  • Chicago Bears +1000

No trades can actually officially take place until the new league year on March 12 but terms can be agreed to at any point.

We will see what happens in the weeks to come.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Former Cardinals on verge of championship with Chiefs

Players expected to be key for the Cardinals when they wanted to be a playoff contender now have their chance at a title with the Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday in Super Bowl LIX, seeking to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. They are favored to do it.

The Chiefs have three former Arizona Cardinals players who were supposed to be cornerstones to a potential championship team in 2022 — tackle D.J. Humphries, receiver Hollywood Brown and receive DeAndre Hopkins.

The Cardinals had gone 11-6 in 2021 and made the playoffs, although they stumbled down the stretch and were blown out in the wild card game by the eventual champion L.A. Rams.

They basically ran the roster back in 2022 hoping to build on that. Humphries was the Cardinals’ starting left tackle. Hopkins was going to be healthy and then Brown was acquired in a draft-day trade.

But we know how 2022 ended up. Hopkins was suspended, Brown got hurt just before Hopkins came back, Humphries missed the back half of the season with a back injury and quarterback Kyler Murray tore his ACL. It was a four-win season and the coaches were fired and Hopkins was later released in the offseason.

All three now can experience a championship if the Chiefs win on Sunday. Brown and Hopkins are healthy. Humphries was a late-season addition after recovering from a torn ACL. He started two games, injured his hamstring and is now a reserve as Joe Thuney moved to left tackle.

Hopkins had 41 catches in 10 games for the Chiefs after being traded from the Titans. He has had one catch so far in the postseason.

Brown signed with the Chiefs in free agency, missed almost the entire season with a shoulder injury but came back in December and had nine catches in two games. He has had three receptions in the postseason.

In addition to the three former Cardinals on Kansas City’s roster, running back Keaontay Ingram, drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round in 2022, is on the Chiefs’ practice squad.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.