As the Arizona Cardinals begin preparations this week for the season opener Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, they will do so with seven projected starters beginning the final year of their contracts.
In the last month, two starters – edge rusher Zaven Collins and center Hjalte Froholdt – signed two-year extensions that kept them under contract through the 2026 season, although there is no guaranteed money in the final year of either of those deals.
When head coach Jonathan Gannon was asked two weeks ago about the motivation to get Froholdt’s situation handled then, he said it was good to get it done prior to the start of the season.
That raises the obvious question of whether it is also the plan to do the same with at least some of those starters: safety Budda Baker, running back James Conner, linebackers Kyzir White and Dennis Gardeck, guards Will Hernandez and Evan Brown, nose tackle Roy Lopez and kicker Matt Prater, who isn’t technically a starter.
Hernandez said of Froholdt, “Extremely happy for him and the organization, too. They know exactly what he is, what he has to bring. And I know him better than anyone. They definitely got a great player and I know Hjalte’s happy about it, so I’m glad that happened.”
When asked if he might be next in line, Hernandez said last week, “You know this kind of deal; it’s like being at the DMV. You never know. You might get your number called or all of a sudden it’s two hours later and you’ve got to see what’s going on. Who knows? I honestly don’t think about it. I just play. Whatever happens, happens. But I am aiming to play well every single play.”
Hopefully, all those Cardinals won’t be at the DMV at the same time.
It’s crucial to note that Collins, who will be 26 next May, and Froholdt, who turned 28 on Aug. 20, signed team-friendly deals that will potentially be redone in 2026 if both continue to raise their game.
On a roster that has only five players that are 30 years old or more, one is Gardeck, who turned 30 on Aug. 9 and several others are nearing that milestone:
27: Lopez on Aug. 7
28: Brown on Sept. 16
29: Baker in January, White in March and Hernandez’s birthday is today (Sept. 2).
30: Conner in May.
The ageless Prater turned 40 on Aug. 10.
The most difficult situation is Baker, the heart and soul of the team’s defense. His current salary for this season is $14.2 million and while no money was guaranteed, it will be when he is on the opening-day roster. He also earned a $400,000 offseason workout bonus.
Baker still ranks seventh among safeties in the NFL in per-year contract average ($14.1 million) with the top six Antoine Winfield Jr., Buccaneers ($21.025 million); Derwin James Jr., Chargers ($19 million); Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers ($18.247 million); Xavier McKinney, Packers ($16.75 million); Jessie Bates III, Falcons ($14.5 million) and Kyle Dugger, Patriots ($14.5 million).
It seems unlikely the Cardinals would go beyond three additional years for Baker and what price that would be, considering safety Jalen Thompson is 10th in the league at $12 million per year and he ($12.468 million) and Baker ($19.025 million) have cap charges this year of a combined $31.493 million. Only quarterback Kyler Murray has a larger cap hit this season than Baker and Thompson.
While Baker has repeatedly said he wants to remain a Cardinal, we also don’t know what kind of payday he’s seeking or would accept.
For Thompson, who turned 26 on July 18, 2025 is the final year of his contract that includes a $7.56 million salary with no guarantees and a cap hit of $13.748 million.
They are one of the best safety tandems in the NFL, but how long will they be playing together?
General manager Monti Ossenfort is methodically building a roster that he hopes will compete on a yearly basis, making it difficult to assess how he will manage those players that are prime examples for the culture being developed while balancing how they fit in the salary structure.
Here are the 2024 contracts for the players mentioned, ranked in order of salary-cap charge along with this year’s cash. They are all currently scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in six months.
Baker, $19.025 million cap; $14.6 million 2024 cash: $14.2 million salary, $400,000 offseason workout bonus
Conner, $8.93 million cap, $5.99 million 2024 cash: $4.235 million salary, $1.5 million roster bonus, $255,000 max per-game active roster bonuses
White, $6.75 million cap: $5 million salary
Hernandez, $5.325 million cap, $4.075 million cash: $3.15 million salary, $500,000 roster bonus, $425 max per-game active roster bonuses
Prater, $4.75 million cap: $3.5 million salary
Gardeck, $3.767 million cap, $2.95 million 2024 cash: $2.61 million salary, $340,000 max per-game active roster bonuses
Brown, $2.335 million cap, $2.335 million 2024 cash: $1.445M salary, $650,000 signing bonus, $255,000 per-game active roster bonuses
Lopez, $1.055 million cap: $1.055 million salary
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