The Arizona Cardinals will have to pay three of their young defenders a little more than their contracts originally called for in 2022. Thanks to proven performance escalators, defensive lineman Zach Allen, cornerback Byron Murphy and safety Jalen Thompson all will get a nice raise in their fourth season in the NFL.
Murphy, a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, was scheduled to receive a salary of more than $1.58 million. Allen, a third-rounder in 2019, was due to make more than $1.1 million in salary, while Thompson, a supplemental fifth-round selection in 2019, was going to make the league minimum of $965,000.
Thanks to what is called a proven performance escalator, players drafted in the second round or later can get a fourth-year salary bump in three scenarios, based on playing time or making a Pro Bowl.
