HEADLINES

Max Garcia

Cardinals To Sign Brian Winters

March 22nd, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have agreed to sign offensive lineman Brian Winters. Meanwhile, they’ve also re-upped backup lineman Max Garcia. 

Winters joined the Bills last year after a number of seasons as the Jets’ starting right guard. In Buffalo, he played in all 16 games, including nine starts at RG. Now, he’s ticketed for a competition with incumbent Justin Murray and 2020 third-round pick Josh Jones.

The Cardinals have reshaped their offensive line in recent days by trading for Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson. They’ve also re-upped right tackle Kelvin Beachum in an effort to give Kyler Murray better protection up front. There’s still plenty of time to go between now and the start of the 2021 season, but the Cards’ starting OL currently projects to include D.J. Humphries at left tackle, Justin Pugh at left guard, Hudson at center, Winters at right guard, and Kelvin Beachum at right tackle.

NFC Contract Details: Funchess, Blythe, Redskins, Cardinals

March 30th, 2020 at 7:08pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve got a handful of contract details to pass along. We’ll start with the latest NFC notes, all via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter:

  • Devin Funchess, WR (Packers): One year, $2.5MM. Includes $3.75MM in receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns incentives.
  • Austin Blythe, OL (Rams): One year. Worth $3.9MM, including $3.5MM guaranteed. $950K signing bonus, $2.95MM salary (of which $2.55MM is guaranteed).
  • Peyton Barber, RB (Redskins): Two year, $3MM. Includes $600K signing bonus. Salaries: $910K (2020), $1.14MM (2021). $150K per-game maximum roster bonus in 2020, $199K+ per-game maximum roster bonus in 2021.
  • Nate Orchard, LB (Redskins): Re-signed. One-year, $1.047MM deal. Includes $137.5K signing bonus, $910K salary.
  • Seth Roberts, WR (Panthers): One year, $3.75MM. Includes $600K signing bonus, $3.1MM salary, $50K workout bonus.
  • Marcus Gilbert, OT (Cardinals): One year, $3.75MM. $1.05MM base salary (of which only $150K is guaranteed). Up to $2.7MM in playing time incentives.
  • Max Garcia, OL (Cardinals): Re-signed. One-year, $1.25MM deal, including $600K guaranteed. Up to $190K per-game maximum roster bonus, up to $1MM in playing time incentives.
  • Cameron Fleming, OL (Giants): Signed. One-year, $3.5MM deal (as opposed to previously-reported one-year, $4MM deal). Includes $2MM guaranteed. Up to $500K per-game roster bonus, up to $500K playing time incentives.
  • Kerry Hyder, DE (49ers): One year. $1.5MM, including $550K guaranteed. Up to $250K in per-game roster bonus.

Cardinals Re-Sign G Max Garcia, S Charles Washington

March 24th, 2020 at 3:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals will bring back two role players from Kliff Kingsbury‘s first season in charge. Guard Max Garcia and safety Charles Washington signed to stay with Arizona.

Garcia has seen his responsibilities gradually reduced as his career has gone along, but the five-year veteran has logged 41 starts and profiles as one of the NFL’s most experienced second-string offensive linemen entering the 2020 season.

The Broncos used Garcia as a rotational guard during their 2015 Super Bowl season and as a 16-game starter in 2016 and ’17, but by 2018, the former fourth-round pick started just four games and saw an injury end his contract-year campaign. He signed with the Cardinals for one year and $2MM last March. This pact will likely be for a similar amount, seeing as Garcia played in seven games and started none in his Arizona debut. The Cards, however, employ injury-prone starting guards in Justin Pugh and J.R. Sweezy, so it makes sense to have an experienced backup.

This will also be Washington’s second Cardinals season. The former UDFA spent two years with the Lions before signing with the Cards in 2019. He did not see any defensive snaps but played on 45% of Arizona’s special teams plays.

Cardinals Activate Max Garcia, Cut Zach Brown

November 6th, 2019 at 12:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals have announced a series of roster moves including the activation of guard Max Garcia from the physically unable to perform list. Arizona has also placed defensive tackle Clinton McDonald on injured reserve and released linebacker Zach Brown.

Garcia, a fourth-round pick of the Broncos in 2015, signed with the Cardinals this offseason while still recovering from an ACL tear. A regular starter during his time with Denver, Garcia is expected to become a reserve for Arizona. Per the club, Garcia will likely act as the Cardinals’ top backup interior lineman on Sunday.

McDonald, 32, is now in the midst of his ninth NFL campaign. The Memphis product spent time with the Bengals, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Broncos, and Raiders before landing with the Cardinals this offseason. McDonald had appeared in every game for Arizona this year, typically playing 20% of the club’s defensive snaps. He’s going on IR with a neck injury.

Arizona had just signed Brown last week to add depth to its linebacker unit, but he’s already out of a job. Brown inked a one-year, $3MM deal with the Eagles in May after being released by the Redskins in March, but was cut after six games in Philadelphia.

NFL Players Returning From IR/PUP

October 16th, 2019 at 8:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that we’re approaching the midway point of the regular season, players on various injury lists are now able to begin to return to practice and, eventually, return to game action. Here’s the list of players coming back to practice this week while on injured reserve or physically unable to perform list, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets:

Players on the PUP list are only required to miss six weeks of the regular season, so every player listed above with the exception of Sternberger could technically be activated this weekend. Sternberger has officially been designated as one of Green Bay’s IR/return players, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Because he was originally placed on IR, Sternberger — a third-round rookie — will be absent for at least two more weeks.

NFC Notes: Elliott, Cards, Redskins, Giants

July 20th, 2019 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adding some additional spice to the Ezekiel Elliott–Cowboys situation, the running back may be making plans to be unavailable when his team convenes for training camp. While it is still uncertain if Elliott will indeed hold out, a source informed Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk the two-time rushing champion plans to leave the country in the coming days. Extension-eligible since January, Elliott is considering staying away from Cowboys camp due to his contract. The coming days were expected to be key for the Cowboys and Elliott, but the running back’s travel plans may affect these proceedings.

The Cowboys have prioritized extensions for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper, both entering contract years, and have been rumored to be considering a future without an Elliott extension. The 24-year-old star has until August 6 to report to camp in order to accrue a fourth year toward free agency, so any holdout past that date would be quite bold. But withholding services from a team whose offense revolves around him could be a game plan for Elliott, regardless of the free agency-related date.

Here is the latest out of the NFC:

  • The Cardinals will begin camp without some notable veterans. Robert Nkemdiche, Charles Clay, Brooks Reed, Max Garcia and Brandon Williams on their active/PUP list, the team announced. Clay and Nkemdiche have been battling knee injuries, the latter’s stemming from a December torn ACL. A four-year Broncos guard, Garcia tore his ACL last season as well. Hip and back problems currently limit Reed and Williams, respectively. All players placed on the active/PUP list can return at any point in camp.
  • The Redskins tabbed Reuben Foster to be a three-down linebacker for them, but following his ACL tear, the team does not have a surefire full-time linebacker. While J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington notes Mason Foster will reprise his role as a starter, it is not certain if he will play consistently in nickel sets. Pro Football Focus did not grade Foster as a solid coverage ‘backer last season. However, the Redskins may have a nickel answer in third-year man Josh Harvey-Clemons. The team plans to use the former Louisville safety as a passing-downs linebacker, Finlay adds. A former seventh-round pick, Harvey-Clemons played just 196 snaps last season.
  • Despite the minicamp Darius Slayton buzz, Corey Coleman may still have the inside track on the Giants‘ No. 3 wide receiver job. Coleman’s first-round pedigree and his progress as a Giant gives him the edge over the likes of Slayton, Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. During games, Coleman has not shown much since early in his rookie year. He caught five passes for 71 yards with the 2018 Giants.

Contract Details: Vaccaro, Callahan, Okafor

March 21st, 2019 at 10:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL contracts, with all links going to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle’s Twitter account:

Contract Details: Ford, Mosley, Crowder

March 16th, 2019 at 10:34am CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted contract details from around the NFL:

Cardinals To Sign Max Garcia

March 14th, 2019 at 10:05am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have agreed to sign guard Max Garcia, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Garcia, 27, spent the previous four years with the Broncos. 

[RELATED: Giants Interested In Cardinals’ Josh Rosen]

Last year, Garcia’s season was cut short in November by a torn ACL. It was a bad blow to a Broncos O-Line that already had lost guard Ronald Leary to an Achilles tear and center Matt Paradis to a broken fibula.

Garcia was a Broncos fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft. Although he started 32 consecutive games from 201-17, Garcia wasn’t a deployed as a starter in 2018 until after Leary got hurt. Indeed, Garcia didn’t play a single offensive snap until Week 6, but he was on the field for every play between Leary’s injury and his own.

Garcia’s 242 snaps were not enough to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but he drew a favorable score in 2016 when he started in every game for Denver.

Broncos G Max Garcia Tears ACL

November 16th, 2018 at 11:28am CST by Dallas Robinson

Broncos guard Max Garcia will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link).

It’s unclear exactly when Garcia tore his ACL, but it sound as though it may occurred during practice on Thursday. Per Klis, Garcia took every snap at practice yesterday, but felt discomfort in his knee afterwards. A subsequent MRI revealed the ACL injury and will now knock Garcia out for the rest of the year.

Denver’s offensive line has already been decimated by injury this year, and the loss of Garcia will only further deplete the unit. Veteran guard Ronald Leary went down with a Achilles tear in mid-October, while starting center Matt Paradis suffered a fractured fibula and ligament tears earlier this month. Per Klis, backup Billy Turner now figures to take over as the Broncos’ starting left guard, meaning Denver will now field an interior offensive line that is entirely different than its Week 1 configuration.

Garcia, 27, was a Broncos fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft. Although he started 32 consecutive games from 201-17, Garcia wasn’t a deployed as a starter this season until after Leary got hurt. Indeed, Garcia didn’t play a single offensive snap until Week 6, but has since been on the field for every play.

Garcia is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next spring, but his market will certainly be affected by his ACL tear and subsequent recovery. He’ll join a class of free agent guards that also includes Rodger Saffold, Quinton Spain, Mark Glowinski, Ramon Foster, and Mike Iupati.

Load More Posts