Cardinals' Top Target Price Tag Revealed

One of the most popular names among Arizona Cardinals fans when it comes to impending free agents is Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Milton Williams. It’s hard to blame them when you look at the impact he had on Philadelphia's Super Bowl-winning team this year.

Even rotating in with Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, Williams made his impact felt especially in the Super Bowl when he brought down Patrick Mahomes twice.

Williams is an unrestricted free agent and is more than likely looking for a new home. The market value for him may have officially been set after a similar defensive line talent signed an extension on Tuesday.

Cowboys Set Free Agent Price for Cardinals Target

The Dallas Cowboys inked Osa Odighizuwa to a new deal. The stud lineman signed a four-year contract worth $80 million, of which $58 million is guaranteed.

Odighizuwa and Williams have had similar success throughout their careers and our both signing their second contracts since entering the league. As far as I’m concerned, Odighizuwa has officially set the market for Williams.

Are the Cardinals willing to sign him to a similar or exact deal that Odighizuwa just signed?

Both players have appeared in 67 games in their first four seasons. Williams has only started 17 games, while Odighizuwa has started 63. Despite the stark difference in starts, Williams only has two less sacks than Odighizuwa with 11.5 against 13.5.

So even in a rotational role with Philadelphia, Williams has been equally as effective as Odighizuwa. Fair to say that this makes it a fair market.

Now let’s take a look at it from the Cardinals side of things.

The top two needs for the Cardinals are edge rusher, and interior defensive lineman; you can put them in whichever order you prefer. But they need to leave the offseason and the 2025 NFL Draft with upgrades to both spots.

As I said, Williams has been one of the most popular players linked to the team and it’s entirely understandable why that is. Williams is a dramatic upgrade over what’s currently on the line, and he would mesh very well next to Dante Stills and Darius Robinson.

Williams’ prowess as a run defender is also a huge upgrade for the defense, and he still showing some signs of getting after the quarterback.

All of this is to say that I would be completely willing to give out a contract like that to a player like Williams. Funny enough, Odighizuwa was a player I liked linked to the Cardinals before he re-signed with Dallas, and I would’ve done the same deal.

$20 million a year sounds like a lot of money for a not-as-flashy player like Williams, but that’s out of the top 10 for the highest paid interior defensive lineman in the league and he’s still impact your defense as well as anyone else.

Don’t overthink it and pay the market value for Williams, even if it’s a little higher than what you would prefer. At the end of the day, Arizona should be doing whatever it takes to make this roster better even if that means spending a little extra coin.