Teams are generally reluctant to discuss extensions for players who have multiple years remaining on their existing deals because it could encourage other players on the roster to demand a new deal before the club is prepared to give them one. The people introduce the Cardinals as Exhibit “A.”
Arizona recently finalized a two-year extension with star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, even though Hopkins was already under club control for three more seasons. But according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the team has made no effort to rework Chandler Jones‘ deal, despite Jones’ continued excellence both on and off the field.
Jones is under contract through the 2021 season, but rival execs still believe it’s unusual that the Cardinals have not at least explored an extension. After all, Jones has been arguably the league’s best pass rusher since Arizona acquired him from the Patriots in March 2016, and the 60 sacks that he posted from 2016-19 are eight more than anyone else in the league during that span. The extension he signed in March 2017 will pay him a $16MM salary this year and a $15.5MM salary next season, but those payouts pale in comparison to the $25-$27MM AAVs that players like Joey Bosa and Myles Garrett recently pulled down from their clubs.
Jones, 30, is not the type of player to publicly voice his displeasure, but La Canfora says his contract situation has been “festering” all offseason. The fact that Hopkins got a new deal before ever playing a snap for the Cards certainly didn’t help matters, and it didn’t go unnoticed in the locker room. Though his age may prevent him from getting Bosa or Garrett money, Jones is certainly due for a pay bump, and it will be interesting to see if GM Steve Keim starts thinking about one before the end of the season.
We recently heard that the club has not engaged in any substantive contract talks with cornerback Patrick Peterson, and La Canfora confirms that report. Peterson, though, is playing out his contract year and is eligible for free agency in 2021.
I think the thoughts of the Cardinal fans and organization are with the great Larry Wilson about now. There will be plenty of time to extend players that deserve one.
Not that I necessarily agree with the details of the extension itself, but Arizona extended Hopkins because they had just done the trade for him. Jones has been there four years and the Cards just did a major extension. Arizona is figuring how much they can give and where it will go, but they’re thinking about it for Jones. Peterson, with his declining play and PED trouble, may not get an offer, even with the secondary in the state that it is.
Because Hopkins’ perceived contract demands were the idiotic reason that O’Brien used as justification for that ridiculous trade, they had to do that to satisfy the player and make him feel that they were committed to him and not simply renting him for a couple of years. Of course, Hopkins ended up being extended for a massive amount of money in part because he was dealing with a new team that he had no connection to. That made it easier for him to demand more than he likely would have from the Texans, where he likely had some loyalty to Deshaun Watson at the very least, if not the team. Would he have been paid a lot? Yes. Would he have been the highest paid non-QB in league history? Maybe not.
Essentially, the trade made Hopkins’ contract a priority much more than it had been with Houston, where Hopkins in all likelihood could have held on with the hope of contending for at least a year or two. Of course, O’Brien does not exactly get along with everybody, so Hopkins may have pushed the contract earlier, but I think it’s fair to assume that he would have put it off or not demanded nearly as much money for the opportunity to compete with his first top level quarterback in his original organization.