7:28pm: Cromartie’s one-year deal is worth $3.25MM, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The cornerback can make another $500K if he plays in every game.
11:45am: The Cardinals have added a free agent cornerback, agreeing to terms on a contract with former Jet Antonio Cromartie, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Schefter, it’ll be a one-year deal.
Cromartie, 29, was released by the Jets earlier in the month due to an exorbitant cap hit on his previous contract. While New York created nearly $10MM in cap savings by releasing the veteran cornerback, there appeared to be mutual interest in bringing him back into the fold at a lower salary. However, with Cromartie headed to Arizona, he becomes the latest in a string of free agent cornerbacks that the Jets have missed out on. Most recently, the club lost Cromartie’s cousin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, to the Giants.
2013 was the fifth straight season in which Cromartie has grabbed at least three interceptions, though he wasn’t as strong in coverage as usual, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). After ranking 16th among cornerbacks in 2012, he placed in the bottom 10 in 2013, with receivers averaging 19.1 YPC on their 49 receptions against him. Still, with a bounceback season he’d provide some stability to a Cardinals secondary that needed to add a corner.