Cardinals Officially Re-Sign Seven Players
ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals officially announced the following seven players will be back with the team in 2024 after re-signing them today:
- Punter Blake Gillkin
- Linebacker Krys Barnes
- Long snapper Aaron Brewer
- Offensive linemen Trystan Colon/Keith Ismael/Elijah Wilkinson
- Cornerback Bobby Price
The Cardinals also announced they released CB Kyler McMichael in the process.
Gillikin's deal was for two years while the other six players are on one-year deals.
More from the team on each signing via the official press release:
"Barnes (6-2, 229) played 16 games (six starts) last season with the Cardinals and had 53 tackles (34 solo), one interception, three tackles for loss and six passes defensed on defense in addition to four tackles on special teams. He came to the Cardinals in 2023 after playing three seasons with Green Bay where he appeared in 35 games (24 starts), collecting 186 tackles (120 solo), 3.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss, four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also started all three postseason games for the Packers. The 25-year old Barnes entered the league with the Packers in 2020 as an undrafted rookie free agent from UCLA.
"Brewer (6-5, 232) snapped in all 17 games last season with the Cardinals and has played 115 regular season games with Arizona the past eight seasons after originally joining the team in 2016. The 33-year old Brewer entered the league with Denver in 2012 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of San Diego State and snapped in all 64 regular season games and eight postseason contests in four seasons (2012-15) with the Broncos. In his career, Brewer has played in 179 games and has 20 special teams tackles.
"Colon (6-3, 313) played 14 games and made four starts at guard with Arizona in 2023 after being claimed off waivers from the New York Jets in August. An undrafted rookie free agent from Missouri, the 25-year old Colon entered the league in 2020 with Baltimore and appeared in 20 games (four starts) over three seasons (2020-22) with the Ravens.
"Gillikin (6-2, 196) played 13 games with the Cardinals last season after signing with the team in Week 5 and had 51 punts for 2,580 yards (50.6 avg.) with 11 punts inside the 20-yard-line. His 50.6-yard average established a new single-season franchise record and his 77-yard punt in Week 16 at Chicago was the longest by a Cardinals punter since 1978. He originally entered the NFL in 2020 with the Saints as an undrafted rookie free agent from Penn State and punted in 34 games over three seasons (2020-22) with New Orleans. Gillikin had 160 punts for 7,527 yards (47.0 avg.) with 61 punts inside the 20-yard line during his time with the Saints and in 2022 set a single-season franchise record with 32 punts inside the 20-yard line.
"Ismael (6-3, 310) played 13 games with the Cardinals in 2023 after being claimed off waivers from the 49ers in August. He originally entered the league with Washington as a fifth-round (156th overall) selection in the 2020 NFL Draft from San Diego State. The 25-year old Ismael played in 10 games with the Commanders in 2021, including starting five games at center and has appeared in 31 career games (five starts) and one postseason contest.
"Price (6-3, 208) returns to the Cardinals after appearing in six games and totaling four tackles and a fumble recovery on special teams. The 25-year old Price originally entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with Detroit in 2020. He spent three seasons (2020-22) with the Lions where he played in 22 games (two starts) and had 15 tackles and three passes defensed on defense and eight tackles on special teams.
"Wilkinson (6-6, 314) played 10 games with nine starts at left guard last season with the Cardinals after joining the team as a free agent. He came to Arizona from the Falcons where he started in nine games at guard in 2022. The 29-year old Wilkinson also played in Chicago (2021) following four seasons in Denver (2017-20) where he appeared in 57 games (27 starts). He entered the league in 2017 with the Broncos as an undrafted rookie free agent from the University of Massachusetts."
Arizona also reportedly has signed new faces in Justin Jones, DeeJay Dallas, Mack Wilson, Bilal Nichols and Sean Murphy-Bunting.
You can read more about their contracts below:
