Cardinals Are Top NFC West Team in Future Salary Cap Rankings
So much of what the Arizona Cardinals have done is shifted towards the future, a product of a recent offseason that saw nothing but massive moves for a rebuild under new general manager Monti Ossenfort.
In terms of rebuilding, the Cardinals have done things by the book to start the process.
They didn't overpay for anybody in free agency, cut ties on unnecessary salary cap fat and though they're currently in negotiations with Budda Baker, they haven't caved into his demands of making him the highest-paid safety in the league, a warning sign to other players that this front office will do what's best for the team moving forward.
OverTheCap has the Cardinals at $26.6 million in available cap space, second-most in the league. With cap space available to be rolled over into the following season (and DeAndre Hopkins' salary completely off the books in 2024), the Cardinals are sitting pretty for the future in terms of financials.
However, Pro Football Focus ranks Arizona at No. 20 in their three-year salary cap analysis for the future.
"The Cardinals have effectively hit the reset button and are ushering in a new era under general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon. Arizona didn’t retain any of its top free agents, including interior defender Zach Allen and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., and eventually made the tough decision to release wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Wide receiver Marquise Brown is a pending free agent and the next big decision facing the franchise, but the team is clearly focused on 2024 and beyond," said PFF.
The criteria fell to a few different things in the rankings:
- Top 51 veteran valuation
- Rookie contract players
- Projected effective cap space
- Total prorated money
- 2023 free agent projections
The highest Arizona ranked in any category was No. 11 in both 2023-25 cap space and total prorated money. They ranked No. 17 in 2024 free agent valuation, No. 23 in top 51 veteran valuation and No. 27 in active draft capital.
The future of quarterback Kyler Murray is still heavily debated, and his return from a torn ACL at some point in 2023 could very much dictate if his $51.8 million cap number will be on the team next season. Baker is second at $17.9 million.
Though an overall ranking at No. 20 isn't a very impressive mark, the Cardinals do beat out all their other divisional foes. The San Francisco 49ers (26), Seattle Seahawks (28) and Los Angeles Rams (30) all rank near the bottom of the league.
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