Justin Pugh Advocates for Kelvin Beachum's Upcoming Payday
The Arizona Cardinals are set to have 30 players enter free agency in the offseason, but few are on the level as offensive linemen Justin Pugh and Kelvin Beachum.
Pugh's handling of the interior with Beachum's presence outside at tackle could potentially come to an end in the desert, with both over the age of 30 as unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Pugh - who is a great follow on Twitter for football and personality reasons - says his good buddy Beachum deserves to be paid.
"This makes me very happy for @KelvinBeachumJr he should get paid. Played every game at a high level. He’s THE BEST locker room guy/leader in the NFL. You want to improve your team bring in Beach!" said Pugh.
Beachum's 1,180 offensive snaps (97.93%) is the highest mark on offense during a year where the Cardinals weren't able to catch any breaks throughout the roster in terms of avoiding the injury bug.
That's not to say Beachum wasn't banged up along the offensive line - as he fought through an MCL sprain to finish the season. Former coach Kliff Kingsbury said a player of his stature didn't have to do that.
“He’s a guy who’s, I call him a CEO because he’s made so much money off the field. He’s got all these business interests and all these different things. He doesn’t have to be playing particularly in this situation," Kingsbury said during Week 18.
"(He) had a sprained MCL, a sprained ankle and continues to play and wants to finish what he started. (That) says all you need to know about him, and I couldn’t be more impressed with all the changes and all the things going on, just the way he’s battled and helped lead that offense.”
At 33-years-old, Beachum has a market value of $3.7 million annually according to Spotrac. His cap hits the last two years were $2.4 million and $1.5 million.
Time will tell for either Pugh or Beachum's future with the organization, but there's no doubt they'll have each other's backs far past their eventual conclusion with the Cardinals.
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