Tag: Arizona Cardinals rumors

How the Cardinals can make a Julio Jones trade work

DeAndre Hopkins took to Twitter to effectively recruit Julio Jones to Arizona. Here’s how this could work.

Speculation ran its course through the Arizona Cardinals’ social media world Friday afternoon with another recruitment tweet from star wideout DeAndre Hopkins.

Falcons All-Pro receiver and franchise icon Julio Jones has been rumored to be traded before the start of the 2021 season. More specifically, Jones would be dealt as a post June 1 designation to create more cap space for the club. As of right now, Atlanta doesn’t even have the cash to sign their rookie class.

Multiple outlets have reported the Falcons’ intentions to move Jones. The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz reported Atlanta would like to move their star wideout at this time.

While teams like the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers have come up as possible landing spots for Jones, the Cardinals have been brought up as a dark horse. That is, of course, before DeAndre Hopkins took to Twitter on the matter.

This alone shouldn’t be dismissed, given Hopkins’ involvement in the recruitment of J.J. Watt back in March. Julio Jones is very close with Hopkins, so there is a similar sort of connection there.

So, how could the Cardinals even make this work? For one, Jones would likely require a new/restructured contract. Second, the Cards aren’t exactly in dire need of another wideout. The starting lineup currently consists of DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore. Larry Fitzgerald, at this point, is still a possibility.

It goes without saying — the Cardinals would quite possibly be elevated to Super Bowl contender with the likes of Julio Jones to pair with their already explosive offense.

Here’s how a trade could work between Atlanta and Arizona:

At this point in time, the rumored asking price for Jones would be a second-round pick and change. He is 32 years old and coming off an injury-plagued season, therefore unlikely to fetch a first-rounder. Here are two projected trades between the two clubs:

ATL receives: 2022 second-round pick, 2023 fourth-round pick

ARI receives: WR Julio Jones, 2022 sixth-round pick

Or, in the case of Atlanta hoping for young talent in return, there is this possibility:

ATL receives: 2022 second-round pick, WR Christian Kirk

ARI receives: WR Julio Jones

This idea has been floated around given the Cardinals’ selection of slot wideout Rondale Moore in the second round of the draft. With Kirk set to be a free agent next year, they could ship the talented receiver to Atlanta, giving Matt Ryan another weapon in the absence of Jones. Moore would likely take a full-time slot role, with the small possibility of a Fitzgerald return to the slot in Kirk’s departure.

Financially, it gets a bit more complex. Jones has a base salary of $15.3 million.

As for Hopkins’ contract, his cap number is already relatively low this year at $12.5 million, meaning there isn’t a ton of room to lower this year’s overall cap situation. Because his salary is only $4.75 million this year, any restructure would not even save $1 million against the cap this year.

However, there are others who can make a difference for the acquisition of Jones. Star edge rusher Chandler Jones currently has the team’s largest cap hit at more than $20 million. It would take a contract extension to lower that number or by adding voiding years at the end of the deal, which expires after this season. It would effectively be similar to what the front office did with J.J. Watt’s deal, adding an extra year to the contract to spread out the cap hit.

Other potential contract re-structures include LT D.J. Humphries($19.3 million) and DT Jordan Phillips($12 million). The Cardinals could also see cap relief by way of releasing linebacker Devon Kennard as a post-June 1 cut, saving $6.75 million, or by trading linebacker Jordan Hicks after June 1 to save $3 million.

With the Cardinals currently sitting at around $13.5 million in available cap space, they likely wouldn’t have enough to bring in Jones as it is. Still, it’s the 13th-highest remaining cap number in the league, with plenty of ways to increase it.

To answer the question bluntly — could the Cardinals find a way financially to bring in Julio Jones?

Yes, yes they could.

Will they give up a large amount of capital to add another wideout to a crowded receiver room with holes at tight end and cornerback? That is the larger obstacle here.

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Best remaining players to complete Cardinals’ 2021 roster

After a solid wave of talent in the NFL Draft, the Cardinals are still looking to upgrade their roster in the league’s top division.

The highly anticipated NFL Draft is behind us with the Arizona Cardinals having added many quality players at positions of need. Still, for the team to reach their postseason goals, there are some remaining holes on the roster.

As of right now, the Cards have around $15 million in cap space to use before draft pick signings. They still have contracts to redo or terminate, such as those of receiver Andy Isabella and linebacker Devon Kennard. There is money to work with, particularly at a (hopefully) discounted free agent class this late into the offseason.

Here are some of the top options at Arizona’s on-paper positions of need that could be available this summer.


Rodney Hudson trade gives Cardinals one of the NFL’s elite O-lines

One of the biggest offseason acquisitions for the Cardinals was center Rodney Hudson, who figures to give the Cardinals one of the league’s most formidable offensive lines.

The Arizona Cardinals have had an offseason full of mixed emotions. To this point, they’ve had an excellent incoming free agent class, highlighted by J.J. Watt, A.J. Green and Matt Prater. With these exciting acquisitions, however, came the departure of franchise icon Patrick Peterson, who chose to leave Arizona in favor of the Minnesota Vikings. The team also parted ways with standout edge rusher Haason Reddick, who signed a one-year deal with Carolina.

Historically, Arizona hasn’t been one of the more talked about teams in the sports media world, but that has changed since the Cardinals’ recent bold and exciting moves since drafting quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall.

The Cardinals made a trade this offseason, one that won’t be talked about and get all the media attention like some of the team’s recent moves have had. That mostly has to do with the position. Make no mistake, however, center Rodney Hudson’s arrival to the desert gives the Cardinals an elite offensive line for the first time in years.

There is a very strong argument for Rodney Hudson being the best center in the NFL. It’s hard to name someone better. At age 31, he should have quite a few years left in the most important seasons for protecting his young quarterback, Kyler Murray.

The Cardinals suffered from poor center play in 2020, which put extra stress on guards Justin Pugh and Justin Murray. The acquisition of Hudson should allow both guards to be better in 2021. Hudson will also be tasked with making calls along the offensive line, which should make everyone better.

On paper, this Cardinals offensive line looks legit. D.J. Humphries, a Pro Bowl snub last season, has quietly emerged as one of the NFL’s premier left tackles. Humphries was dominant, allowing only 12 pressures in the final 12 games and one sack on the season. He had an overall PFF grade above 90.

Justin Pugh, who has been brought up in trade/cut conversations, appears to be staying put in the valley. General Manager Steve Keim recently expressed his admiration of the 2018 big-ticket free agent acquisition, stating he believed 2020 was Pugh’s best year as a Cardinal. He struggled with penalties, but only allowed one sack on the season. Pugh’s game should take another step forward next to Rodney Hudson.

Longtime left tackle Kelvin Beachum made the switch to right tackle for offensive line coach Sean Kugler last season, surprising many with his standout performance. He was a late offseason acquisition who took over the starting job immediately. The Cardinals rewarded Beachum with a two-year contract, solidifying the right tackle position moving forward.

The point here is the Cards had solid to great contributions from their returning 2020 starters. Adding Hudson to that mix subsequently fills the team’s biggest offensive hole from last season and gives the whole group a standout veteran presence.

The best offensive lines in the NFL all have a standout center. It just so happens the Cardinals added quite possibly the best in the game at that position. The addition of Rodney Hudson appears to be paving the way for an elite offensive line for Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury.

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Should the Cardinals reunite with WR John Brown?

The Buffalo Bills released WR John Brown on Wednesday, prompting many to wonder if he could return to the Arizona Cardinals, where he was drafted.

With the start of the legal tampering period just a few days away, teams across the NFL are making veteran cuts and contract restructures to stay under the cap. This year, there have been some big-name cuts of talented players that likely wouldn’t be happening in a regular off-season.

One of those cuts is former Arizona Cardinal wideout John Brown, who was released by the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday.

Since departing from the valley, Brown has played three seasons (one for Baltimore, two for Buffalo) and accumulated 2,233 receiving yards, 147 receptions and 14 touchdowns. His best season was in 2019 in Buffalo prior to the acquisition of Stefon Diggs, where he received a high volume of targets. That season was his second 1,000-yard season, the other being with the Cardinals in 2015.

Needless to say, Brown is still a very productive player in the league and would make Kliff Kingsbury’s offense much better.

Brown will be 31 at the start of the 2021 season after dealing with some injuries last season. He missed seven regular-season games and was hurt in his return to Arizona in the ‘Hail Murray’ thriller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1PV0xjS0gY

Cardinals fans remember the speedy wideout’s successful tenure in Arizona. With wide receiver being a position of need, could Brown return to the valley?

Adding John Brown to the existing receiving corps would give the Cards a deep threat on the perimeter, opening up more intermediate routes for DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. He likely wouldn’t command a huge salary, which is helpful in this limited cap year for all teams.

There are some complications, however. Brown has sickle-cell trait that reportedly grew worse during his time in Arizona. He also was frustrated by how his situation was handled. Former head coach Bruce Arians first spoke of the issue during the 2016 season, and Brown didn’t quite have the same impact since. It’s possible there was some tension there, but with Arians in Tampa, perhaps Brown would consider a reunion, health permitting.

With wide receiver being a need for the team, it’s possible John Brown returns to Arizona.

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Will the Cardinals have the NFL’s best pass rush in 2021?

NFL Superstar J.J. Watt shocked the football world Monday morning with an announcement that he will be joining the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s what it means for the team.

It was always going to be this way for the Arizona Cardinals this year. The Cardinals front office was planning on a big-name acquisition in attempt to push the team over the top, and to prevent jobs from being lost.

At the closure of the 2020 NFL season in Tampa, we had no idea that would be the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, J.J. Watt.

Watt was granted a release from the Texans last month. Speculation grew rampant about his next destination- from Pittsburgh to Green Bay. None included the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, the Cardinals weren’t even available to place a bet as Watt’s next team on many gambling sites.

As the national headlines highlighted more teams like the Browns and the Bills, a very small circle became aware of Watt’s serious interest in Arizona. But, even then, almost everyone thought he’d choose elsewhere.

J.J. Watt is now an Arizona Cardinal. He is one of this generation’s best football players and role models off the field. As stated by FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd, Watt is one of the few defensive players with a brand. Everyone knows who J.J. Watt is.

Watt’s impact will go far beyond the football field for the Cardinals, but that is the focus of today. His arrival to an Arizona defense that ranked fourth in the NFL in sacks, without All-Pro Chandler Jones, poses a legitimate question.

Will the Arizona Cardinals have the NFL’s best pass rush in 2021?

The Cardinals’ sack totals without Chandler Jones were impressive, but the two largest contributors from that group will be free agents in two weeks. Haason Reddick and Markus Golden performed admirably last season, and it’s almost certain both won’t return. One, however, is very much possible.

Reddick had a fantastic season after being ridiculed for subpar play at a position that wasn’t even his own. The Cards had been playing a natural edge rusher at inside linebacker for years.

Totaling 12.5 sacks, Reddick stepped in admirably for the injured Chandler Jones. His time at inside linebacker showed when defensive coordinator Vance Joseph would drop him into coverage on exotic blitz packages. He is a candidate for the franchise tag or a long-term extension at the right number.

Golden, on the other hand, only had three sacks, but his pressures were evident. He would be cheaper than Reddick, which could be an option for the team if they fail to reach a long-term extension.

Either way, both players are held in high regards by the Cardinals and their fans. Sadly, both of them returning does not appear to be in the plans.

With that said, the Cardinals lose an edge rusher, but gain J.J. Watt. Watt only had five sacks in 2020, but was a constant force in disrupting plays and shutting down the run. ESPN stats state Watt was double-teamed on 30% of snaps last year, as he was evidently Houston’s only star on the defensive side of the ball.

If an opposing team chooses to do that in 2021, they free up arguably the NFL’s best edge rusher in Chandler Jones, either Haason Reddick or Markus Golden, and Jordan Phillips in the interior. That is less than ideal.

Well, if they double-team Jones, that frees up Watt. There is no favorable matchup for offenses here. You had just better hope your offensive line can each win 1-on-1 for 60 minutes against some of the NFL’s elite pass rushers.

J.J. Watt is a massive addition for a young Cardinals team that struggled late in 2020. He will make an immediate impact on the field in a familiar Vance Joseph scheme, and will become one of the biggest faces in Arizona sports. It could also pave the way for one of the best, if not the best, pass rushes in the NFL.

Welcome to Arizona, J.J.

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Cardinals potential free agent target profile: WR Kenny Golladay

With the Cardinals needing another receiving threat, Kenny Golladay is the perfect fit.

With the Super Bowl behind us, the offseason rumor mill is back in business. For the Arizona Cardinals, the next month is quite possibly the most important for the immediate future of the franchise.

It is all but written that the Cardinals front office will go all-out this offseason. General manager Steve Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury find themselves in a make or break year. Whether the moves are smart or not, we’ll likely see the Cards go for it all in attempts to become a contender in 2021.

Going into last season, many argued the Cardinals had the best wide receiver corps in the NFL. What a valid argument it appeared to be, given the arrival of superstar WR DeAndre Hopkins to complement Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk. Now, it can be argued that wide receiver is one of the team’s most pressing needs.

Regardless of the imminent decision of Larry Fitzgerald’s future, the Cards need another star at receiver. Luckily for Keim and the front office, this free agent class is one of the best in recent memory.

Enter Kenny Golladay of the Detroit Lions.

Golladay has quietly put on a fantastic resumé with the Lions, one that has gone under the radar with Detroit’s lack of success. In 2019, he appeared to blossom into a true No. 1 receiver, with nearly 1,200 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. This year, however, he hardly played due to injury(it remains to be seen whether or not this was a business decision with the Lions being out of playoff contention early). When he did play, however, it truly made a difference for the Lions. Ironically, one of his only games played was against the Cardinals, which resulted in a win for Detroit.

In a 5-10 season for the Lions, they were 3-1 in games Kenny Golladay played.

Golladay would give Kyler Murray and the Cardinals another tall, dominant outside receiver, making it extraordinarily difficult on opposing defenses. Last season, the reality surrounding the Cardinals offense is they were only great when DeAndre Hopkins was great. Hopkins can’t always do it all; opposing defenses eventually have enough and create an entire gameplan around him. Defenses in 2020 did not have much else to worry about in terms of Arizona’s receivers, putting all their chips into stopping Hopkins.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NybpuRUMLq4

 

Kenny Golladay would give the Cardinals another receiving threat and draw away some attention from Nuk, making him even more dangerous. It would also move Christian Kirk down a spot in the depth chart, potentially allowing him to have a breakout season. Larry Fitzgerald, should he return, would still have playing time against team’s fourth defensive backs. The Cardinals will still, at his age, will take that matchup.

The Lions’ standout receiver has expressed his desire to stay in Michigan, but nothing is set in stone, particularly with the new regime and an apparent rebuild forthcoming.

“I want to be here,” Golladay told ABC Detroit.

“I like the city. Like what’s going on. They drafted me here, so I just want to show my loyalty. They believed in me and say, if a contract doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. I’ll go somewhere else and just ball out and play. But, like I said, I’m a loyal person. Of course I want to be here.”

Should Golladay hit the market, the Cardinals will have to open owner Michael Bidwill’s personal pocketbook for him. He’ll command top dollar despite the reduced cap situation. There’s a chance, however, that his price goes down a bit due to the number of talented receiver options this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7YGQShl6VE&t=497s

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4 potential trade deadline moves for the Cardinals

With the trade deadline approaching, the Cardinals could be in the mix for some high-profile players.

The NFL trade deadline is upon us — a time where struggling teams ship off pricy veterans and contending teams look to find that missing piece for a championship run.

The Arizona Cardinals have already made a trade, acquiring OLB Markus Golden from the New York Giants. Golden’s return to the valley has been welcomed with open arms by the fanbase. His presence should bolster a Cardinal defense that is already seventh in the NFL in sacks.

The Cardinals, however, may not be done acquiring talent. Our own Chuck Harris reported the Cardinals may be looking into a big name trade prior to the deadline.

I don’t have the Cardinals giving up their first-round pick in any of these trades given their circumstances of each player, as well as their evident need for cheap talent next year.

So, what players make sense for the Cardinals to bolster their playoff hopes?


Should the Cardinals Sign Pro-Bowl S Earl Thomas?

Following the Cardinals’ 23-26 loss to the Detroit Lions and glaring needs at safety, should the Cardinals bite the bullet and sign Pro-Bowl safety Earl Thomas?

The Arizona Cardinals experienced one of their more gut-wrenching losses in recent memory to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, falling 23-26. The team has lost to worse teams before, but this one felt different for both the Cardinals and their fans. This team is full of talent and potential, but can’t seem to reach it.

Part of Sunday’s disappointing loss came as a result of a very thin secondary for the Cardinals. By the time Detroit was at midfield in their game-winning drive, the Cardinals had backup safeties to their backups playing. The result was Marvin Jones breaking a tackle to move Detroit into field-goal range.

The incredible Budda Baker played through a thumb injury that requires surgery, but his availability in the future is uncertain. He will have surgery this week.

Baker’s plans are to only miss next week’s game against Carolina, but that is far from a certainty. He could end up missing a few weeks. This injury unfortunately pairs with the injuries to safeties Jalen Thompson, who is on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and Chris Banjo, who left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.

So, what can the Cardinals do to add talent to their safety room? Many fans have expressed their desires to sign former Cardinal Tony Jefferson, though he does not appear ready to return to football as he recovers from a season-ending knee injury in 2019.

The obvious most talented option left for Arizona is none other than seven-time Pro-Bowler Earl Thomas III. After being an anchor in Seattle’s legendary Legion of Boom, Thomas signed with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal. He was a large part of Baltimore’s stout 2019 defense. Thomas was released by Baltimore before the start of the season.

A seven-time Pro-Bowl and three-time First-Team All-Pro safety doesn’t get released in training camp very often. Thomas allegedly got into a fight with a teammate that led to him throwing a punch. This came months after he reportedly got into a scuffle with DT Brandon Williams after their loss to Cleveland. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has also reported Thomas missing or being late to some team meetings in his one-year stint with Baltimore.

Arizona would have to believe Thomas can prevent these type of incidents from occurring again for them to have any interest. There is certainly a risk in bringing a player into a locker room with that recent track record, but the payout if all works out is an All-Pro safety to bolster the secondary.

Budda Baker has settled in nicely in his role at free safety, which is the same role occupied by Thomas. While Baker has shown his positional versatility on the field, Thomas is usually locked into free safety. That becomes an issue when Baker returns, unless Vance Joseph wants to have Baker roam the field.

The bottom line is, Earl Thomas is a great player who makes the Arizona Cardinals better in the secondary. However, his release from Baltimore likely deters Steve Keim from bringing in the former All-Pro.

Depending on the status of Baker’s thumb surgery, Arizona would be better off adding one of the other free agent safeties given the hopeful short term injuries to their two starting safeties. Thomas may be a great player, but Arizona made Baker the highest-paid safety in the NFL. They rightfully believe in him.

Other free agent safeties include Tony Jefferson, Haha Clinton-Dix, Eric Reid and Demarius Randall. It would be a surprise if Arizona didn’t look into at least one of these options before Sunday’s game against the Panthers.

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Ranking the Cardinals starting players into tiers

Evaluating the projected starting roster for the 2020 Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals starting roster for the 2020 season is all but set, minus the anticipated “Keim-time” free agent signing or two late in the offseason. The team and its fanbase are very excited for the upcoming year given the wave of talent acquired in this offseason.

So, where would all the Cardinals starters rank in tiers based on individual talents and success? We’ll dive into that today.

I would like to thank my good friend Vic (@Cardinalselite on Instagram and Twitter) for working on this project with me.

Tier 1: Elite

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

These players are in the prime of their careers and are classified amongst the best in their respective positions across the entire NFL landscape. They are producing at extremely high levels and demonstrate off-the-field leadership in their community. 

WR DeAndre Hopkins

OLB Chandler Jones

With only two players making this tier, one has never played a down for the Cardinals. Nevertheless, DeAndre Hopkins is one of the three best receivers in football and has put up extraordinary numbers during his seven years in the league. He’s proven his dominance and has been playing at this level for some time now. He should ignite the Cardinals offense into something special this fall.

Chandler Jones is finally getting the appreciation he deserves from the rest of the NFL following an incredible 19 sack year that put him second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. As of today, Jones is the best edge rusher in the league and seems to be getting better each year. In the middle of his prime, Jones is the best player on defense for the Cardinals and another strong year from him is paramount for the team to make the jump in 2020.

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