DONE DEAL: Arizona Cardinals Trade with Bengals

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The Arizona Cardinals are placing every one of their eggs into the bin of their quarterback Kyler Murray for the 2024 season.

The group drafted previous Ohio State Buckeye Marvin Harrison Jr., the top wide recipient prospect in the NFL Draft.

Lead trainer Jonathan Gannon enters his second season with the Cardinals lastly has an offense coming to fruition. The Cardinals actually have an expected $29M in cap space, offer them enough leeway to land a major name in the exchange market. They actually could chip away at both the hostile and cautious sides of the ball prior to instructional course.

Arizona Cardinals Top Three Trade Targets

There are players with expiring contracts Arizona could make an offer for

Cardinals’ Top Trade Targets
Player Position Team 2024 Salary
Tee Higgins WR CIN $21.8 Million
Davante Adams WR LV $25.3 Million
Cameron Heyward DE PIT $22.4 Million

This 2024 season looks like an uphill climb for the Cardinals, and they are far from a complete team. With so much young talent on their squad, they should target skilled veterans to fill out the roster.

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Since the conclusion of the NFL Draft, all eyes have been on Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins as a top trade candidate. He has asked the Bengals for a trade, and the money lines up for the Cardinals, who are one of the few teams that can successfully extend Higgins to big money.

A trade like this would mean parting with a future Day 2 draft selection, and the Cardinals have a pick in every round of the 2025 draft. They drafted 12 players in the 2023 draft, so they should be okay parting with a later pick to acquire a much-needed threat in the passing game.

Higgins, 25, is youthful to the point that his brilliant future is as yet blinding. He as of now has 24 getting scores in four seasons. He has a lifelong all out of 3,684 getting yards on 257 gatherings and can make the following stride by being the No. 1 collector for another group.

It is accounted for that Arizona has a premium in acquiring previous Jacksonville Panthers’ WR Zay Jones. The group ought not be modest and (just) sign a collector like Jones. They need to coordinate Harrison Jr. with a genuine No. 1 objective on the off chance that they are significant about building a successful offense around Murray that can be a significant passing danger, and Higgins could be that person.

The Cardinals have the means to make a serious proposal for a higher expansion than most groups could. The inquiry is in the event that the Bengals care about Higgins “getting a sack” with another group in the event that they can’t remunerate in draft capital.

Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

People have slept on Las Vegas Raiders’ wide receiver Davante Adams for most of his career, and the Cardinals should not find themselves uninterested in the elite receiver. He is a legitimate trade option for the Cardinals, and his future in Vegas continued to sound uncertain.

Adams is expected to make approximately $25.3M this upcoming season, so the Cardinals will have to be ready to not only part with a potentially high pick for the 31-year-old receiver, but they might have to cut some players, too. Even though Father Time is not on his side, the biggest difference between trading for Adams or trading for Higgins is that Adams is an established elite No. 1 receiver. The Cardinals need to make this trade if they think they can compete in the playoffs right now.

Even in what analysts called a “down year,” Adams pulled in 103 receptions for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. Adams’ short route-running might be the perfect chocolate for Harrison Jr.’s peanut butter. Plus, with Trey McBride in the middle of the field, a trade like this gives the passing game a fully dynamic playbook.

This is an “all-in” move, but if they truly believe in Murray, it’s the right move for a blossoming offense.

Cameron Heyward, DE, Pittsburgh Steelers

This trade would be the longest of long shots, but acquiring a veteran like Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive end Cameron Heyward would give the Cardinals front-seven teeth. The team did the right thing and drafted former Missouri Tigers edge rusher Darius Robinson. His size makes him a great fit, but a hall-of-fame caliber veteran like Heyward could help him evolve into an elite talent.

Heyward is a six-time Pro Bowler, and although he isn’t the flashy type of lineman, he still makes all the right plays.

The Steelers probably have no interest in trading him, but he is playing on a contract year, which means it would be fairer to him to go to a team that is willing to extend him despite his age. At the cost of draft picks and extending a 35-year-old, the Cardinals would have a locker room leader that fits their scheme perfectly.

It would cost upward to $20M a year to extend his current contract, but what good is depth if it delivers four to eight wins a year? If they want to start contending, blue-chip players earn wins.

Arizona Cardinals Trade Candidates

These players could surrender their red and white uniforms as salary cap casualties

Higgins, 25, is youthful to such an extent that his splendid future is as yet blinding. He as of now has 24 getting scores in four seasons. He has a lifelong complete of 3,684 getting yards on 257 gatherings and can make the following stride by being the No. 1 beneficiary for another group.

It is accounted for that Arizona has a premium in getting previous Jacksonville Pumas’ WR Zay Jones. The group ought not be modest and (just) sign a collector like Jones. They need to coordinate Harrison Jr. with a genuine No. 1 objective assuming they are not kidding about building a compelling offense around Murray that can be a significant passing danger, and Higgins could be that person.

The Cardinals have the means to make a cutthroat proposal for a higher expansion than most groups could. The inquiry is in the event that the Bengals care about Higgins “getting a pack” with another group on the off chance that they can’t repay in draft capital.

Running back James Conner is the personality of the Cardinals’ run game, and it displayed in his nonattendance last season. In spite of missing five games in 2023, Conner actually ran for north of 1,000 yards and seven scores. Losing him would require filling a major opening, who, unexpectedly, finds the opening better compared to pretty much any back in the association.

Enter rookie and former FSU running back Trey Benson. They spent significant draft capital (No. 66 overall) on bringing in the bruiser running back. Conner is 29, which is like a dinosaur in the NFL, but this raptor can still sprint.

Clearing up Conner’s $8.9M due this season would help the salary cap a bit for a bigger move, all while still having the security of Benson. If they can foist his contract onto one of the other teams with significant cap space, like the New England Patriots, they will have more wiggle room with the cap.

Budda Baker, S

Cardinals’ security Budda Dough puncher is one of the top areas of strength for box in the NFL. He has been essential for the Cardinals’ cautious character for quite a long time, yet, he is a sensible exchange competitor in the event that the group decides to shed a few agreements.

Pastry specialist would be a positive exchange focus for some groups, yet his agreement could frighten a few accomplices off. He is booked to give the cap hit a $19M uppercut in 2024, and he is falling off a season where he didn’t dazzle as much as in earlier years.

The Cardinals drafted previous Texas Tech Red Looter wellbeing Dadrion Taylor-Demerson in the fourth round. He is all the more a “ball-peddling” free wellbeing, so on the off chance that the Cardinals continued on from Pastry specialist, it would leave an enormous opening in the optional. There are still choices in free organization that are much less expensive than Bread cook’s and can in any case assist with filling that opening.

This exchange would be challenging to pull off, and they might need to consent to pay a portion of his $19M pay for this season. The Cardinals need to genuinely ask, prior to instructional course, assuming Dough puncher’s result merits the cash they are paying him.

All measurements kindness of Genius Football Reference except if expressed in any case.

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