What Potential Cardinals Trade Targets Could Cost
ARIZONA -- NFL free agency is set to begin on Monday, and while the league will be fixated on where players will (and won't) go, the Arizona Cardinals could look to the trade market to plug holes across the roster.
Arizona has both the financial capability ($56.6 million in cap space per OverTheCap) and draft capital (double-digit picks) to make moves happen.
There's a few potential names that could be brought to Arizona - but what would they cost in terms of salary?
OTC's Jason Fitzgerald broke down the price tag of some notable players across the league:
Haason Reddick
Fitzgerald: "Trading for Reddick would cost a team $15.5 million in salary and $16 million in cap room in 2024. Reddick, who is in the final year of his contract, is going to be looking for an extension after posting 27 sacks in the last two years. The question is how many teams are going to want to pay $18-20 million a year for a 30 year old player and how much does that limit his trade market. The Vikings seemed to have difficulty trading Danielle Hunter last year in a similar situation.
"The Eagles trading Reddick would likely be due to them wanting to get younger and not deal with the headache of any summer extension drama. He has a $21.827 million cap charge and $20.515 million that would hit the cap if he is cut or traded. The Eagles should not need to restructure for cap room and there may be a lot of benefit to holding him and trading him in the summer or early in the season."
Josh Sweat
Fitzgerald: "Trading for Sweat this year will cost a team $16 million and there are different ways that they can account for his cap charge which could be as low as $4.3 million or as high as $16 million. Sweat is entering the final year of his contract and could be looking for an extension. Sweat will be just 27 this year so he is certainly young enough to command top dollar.
"This trade possibility came out of left field for me and indicates that the Eagles may not have the desire to extend him which makes trading him a strong consideration. The way his contract is structured, trading him this year would leave the Eagles with a net cap charge of $14.515 million this season and have nothing on the books next year. If he plays the year they will have him on the team at $9 million in 2024 and $21.4 million in 2025 when he would be a free agent. There is no reason to rush into a trade here as they have all summer before they have to make the 2025 salary cap commitment."
Diontae Johnson
Fitzgerald: "Trading for Johnson would require a team to pay $10 million for 2024 if traded before a roster bonus is paid and $7 million if traded after the roster bonus is paid. The roster bonus is due on the 3rd day of the league year. Johnson is entering the final year of his contract and could be looking for an extension, but that could also mean possibly recovering a comp pick in the future for him.
"Johnson is not a big play threat by any means but can be a steady enough option on a wide receiver needy team. His cap charge to remain in Pittsburgh is $15.8 million and they would free up $10 million if they cut or trade him before the bonus is due."
