Tag: Will Hernandez

POLL: Grade Cardinals’ re-signing of OL Will Hernandez

The Cardinals brought back Hernandez on a two-year deal worth a total of $9 million. What do you think of the deal and his return?

The Arizona Cardinals reinforced the offensive bringing back starting right guard Will Hernandez. After a one-year prove-it contract worth nearly the league minimum last year, he was rewarded with a two-year contract worth $9 million with $4.5 million guaranteed and paid out in 2023.

Last season, he played 13 games, missing four with a strained pec on injured reserve.

He was one of the team’s most consistent linemen.

His return gives at least steady play at right guard.

What do you think of his return and his deal? Grade it in the poll and give your thoughts in the comments below the article.

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Details for OL Will Hernandez’ 2-year contract with Cardinals

We take a look at the details and cap hit for right guard Will Hernandez’ new two-year contract with the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals inked offensive lineman Will Hernandez to a two-year contract to return after playing on a one-year deal last season. It was a reported $9 million.

The details of the contract are on Over the Cap and also on Spotrac.

It is actually a two-year, $9 million contract with $4.5 million fully guaranteed, all paid this year.

He gets a $2.5 million signing bonus and will make $2 million in fully guaranteed salary in 2023. He also earns $25,000 per game he is active in 2023, for a max of $425,000.

His 2023 cap hit will be as much as $3.675 million if he is active all 17 games.

In 2024, he is due a $500,000 roster bonus on March 19. He is scheduled for a salary of $3.15 million and can earn up to $425,000 again ($25,000 per game he is active) in per-game roster bonuses.

His cap hit in 2024 will be as much as $5.325 million but he can be released before the roster bonus only incur the dead money charge of $1.25 million.

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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The best bargains and most underrated players in 2023 NFL free agency (so far)

Everybody wants to talk about the big-name signings, but here are the best bargains of the 2023 free agent class so far.

There are people in the NFL — especially people who have endured one or more instances of top-heavy free-agency spending — who will tell you that if you want to contend for a Super Bowl, the bottom third of your roster will be just as important as the top third at some point in time. Yes, you want optimal performances from the best and brightest, and if you get it, that’s great. But one of your star players will probably miss time with an injury. Another star might be involved in a contract dispute. And it’s entirely possible that the big-ticket free agent your team brought in for the gross national product of Estonia is actually a bad fit for what his new coaches would like him to do.

It happens all the time. To counter all of these little nightmares, it’s wise to find the best bargains in any free-agent cycle — those players who may not be marquee names, but whose performances on the field makes them important to you.

Especially when things go wrong up top.

There are still quite a few talented players on the open market, so we’ll be adding to this list as we go… but for now, here are the free agents either re-signing in their old homes or going to new locations who will impact their rosters much more than you may think.

Cardinals bring back G Will Hernandez on 2-year deal

The Cardinals’ starting right guard in 2022 comes back for another two seasons. His deal is worth a reported $9 million.

The Arizona Cardinals have solidified the offensive line with another move in free agency. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, guard Will Hernandez has agreed to a deal to return to the Cardinals.

Per Mike Garafolo, it is a two-year contract worth $9 million.

Hernandez signed a one-year prove-it deal last offseason and was one of the team’s better linemen throughout the year. He missed four games with a strained pec but returned to finish the season.

The move secures three starting spots on the offensive line. D.J. Humphries remains at left tackle, Kelvin Beachum has agreed to return on a two-year contract and now Hernandez returns at right guard.

Hernandez was a second-round pick in 2018 of the New York Giants, played four seasons there and played last season for the Cardinals.

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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5 free agent fits for Raiders glaring need at guard

Raiders critical need at guard. These guys are the best free agent fits to fill that need.

We are inside 24 hours from the start of free agency. Yes, *official* free agency doesn’t begin for a few more days, but we all know the free agent negotiating period is when it all happens and that opens Monday afternoon.

That’s when free agents can agree to terms with teams and hover their pens over the dotted line for the moment they can make it official

The Raider have a few needs on the team that are considered critical or at very least serious. Of those needs, we have discussed who is out there to fill needs at quarterback, cornerback, and linebacker.

Next up we move to the offensive line. And we start with the guard position because they need help there desperately.

With the open of free agency, there will be a few guards who would fit what the Raiders are looking for at the position. Here they are.

2023 NFL Free Agency: The most underrated players of the upcoming class

With NFL free agency just around the corner, it’s time to look at the hidden gems of this class — the underrated players who will outperform their new contracts.

While big-name, big-dollar free-agency signings rule the headlines at the start of every league year, smart franchises understand that it’s the lesser-known contracts that frequently make the biggest difference when everybody hits the field months from now.

In 2022, the Seattle Seahawks let quarterback Geno Smith test the open market before re-signing him to a one-year, $3.5 million deal that worked out pretty well for everybody involved. Smith became the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, Seattle’s post-Russell Wilson franchise quarterback, and he got a major new deal when all was said and done.

The Eagles would not have made it to Super Bowl LVII without two relatively unheralded signings — cornerback James Bradberry to a one-year, $7.25 million deal, and pass-rusher Haason Reddick to a three-year, $45 million pact. Both players were defensive cornerstones throughout Philly’s remarkable season.

As we turn to the 2023 free agency cycle that begins Monday with the legal tampering period, and becomes official when players can actually sign contracts on Wednesday at 4:01 p.m. EST, it’s time to look at those players who might not be the biggest names, but could make profound impacts on their new teams (or their previous teams in some instances) based on past performance.

Here’s our list of the hidden gems of the 2023 free agency class.

19 players Giants have drafted from Senior Bowl over last 6 years

Since 2017, the New York Giants have drafted 19 players who had practiced during Senior Bowl week or played in the Senior Bowl itself.

The NFL draft run-up begins this week with the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The New York Giants have always had a presence at the game and have drafted many a player who has participated in the game over the years.

Here are some players the Giants met and scouted at the game and then drafted going back to 2017.

Cardinals activate OL Will Hernandez from IR, elevate 2 from practice squad

Will Hernandez returns to the starting lineup after missing the last four games while on injured reserve.

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The Arizona Cardinals announced some roster moves leading up to their game Sunday on the road against the Denver Broncos. They get back a starter on the offensive line.

The Cardinals reinstated right guard Will Hernandez to the active roster, activating him from injured reserve. He had missed the last four games with a strained pec. He will return to the starting lineup against the Broncos.

The Cardinals also announced two standard elevations from the practice squad. They elevated cornerback Nate Hairston and defensive lineman Manny Jones.

Jones is an undrafted rookie who signed with the Cardinals in the offseason. He played well in the preseason. He has appeared in one game this season.

Hairston has been on the practice squad since September. He has been in the league since 2017. His presence will likely be needed because cornerback Byron Murphy has been ruled out and both Antonio Hamilton and Marco Wilson are questionable to play.

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OL Will Hernandez designated to return from IR

Hernandez, Arizona’s starting right guard, missed five weeks and four games with a strained pectoral.

The Arizona Cardinals could be getting a starting offensive lineman back this week. Starting right guard Will Hernandez, on injured reserve for the last five weeks with a strained pec, was designated to return from injured reserve, allowing him to return to practice.

The team has 21 days to reinstate him to the active roster or he reverts to IR for the rest of the season.

Hernandez missed four games and could possibly return to the lineup this weekend when the Cardinals face the Denver Broncos on the road this weekend.

Hernandez was playing quite well this season before he was injured. His return would be big for quarterback Colt McCoy, who was sacked six times in the Cardinals’ Monday night loss to the New England Patriots.

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OL Will Hernandez lands on injured reserve

He will miss at least the next four games with a pectoral injury.

The Arizona Cardinals have lost another starting guard for a few weeks. Starting right guard Will Hernandez, after suffering a pectoral injury Sunday in the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks, was placed on injured reserve, meaning he must be out at least four games.

That was the corresponding roster move to make space for newly added offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, whom they acquired via a waiver claim after he was released by the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday he hoped that the injury would not be season-ending.

He had started all nine games this season and was playing well for the team.

The earliest he will be eligible to return is December 18 when the Cardinals face the Denver Broncos on the road.

As for this week, either Max Garcia or rookie Lecitus Smith is expected to be in the starting lineup, although Davis’ addition also gives them another option, even though he will only have had two practices with the team.

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