Earlier Tuesday morning, NFL inside Mike Garofolo reported that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade. With one of the top receivers in the game now on the trading block, the two questions every team needs to ask themselves is if they are not only willing to part with the assets to facilitate the deal but also if they’re willing to pay top dollar to keep him beyond 2024. For the Cardinals, the answer to those two questions should be no.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The biggest reason is simply the Cardinals are not in a position where Aiyuk would put them in a position to not only win the NFC West but also compete for a Super Bowl. 2024 is more of an evaluation year to see the progress of this team after hitting rock bottom at the end of the 2022 season. Trading for Aiyuk with one year of control remaining is a “win-now” move, rather than looking long-term.
Their biggest long-term concern to address starts at the quarterback position, and if Kyler Murray is the right guy to lead the franchise. The Cardinals have built up their offense enough that they can properly evaluate him if he can stay healthy. If Murray shows he’s a capable starter in this league, then they can look at 2025 as the year they start making more “win-now” moves.
They just invested the No. 4 overall pick in another blue chip receiving talent in Marvin Harrison Jr., with the idea he will grow into a bona fide star at the position. Additionally, second-year receiver Michael Wilson is looking at a larger role after a solid rookie season of 39 catches for 565 yards and four scores. 2024 is not only an evaluation year for Murray, but also the receiving corps as a whole.
Not only would the draft assets or players involved in the return be prohibitive, but also the likely contract extension that would need to be negotiated to facilitate the deal. The asking price for a possible extension will easily break $30 million a season, with at least three seasons of guaranteed money, although his 2024 and 2025 cap hits will not be that high. Throw in the fact they already have a quarterback on a $49 million cap hit and the salary cap crunch begins to hit.
The Cardinals already have some players on rookie deals that require extensions. Tight end Trey McBride is a top candidate, although he’s not eligible to renegotiate his rookie contract until after the season. McBride is coming off an 81-catch and 825-yard season after emerging as one of the top pass catching threats at the position. Also they have to look at a potential Harrison extension should he make good on the potential he brings to the offense.
They don’t necessarily have an extension candidate on the defensive side of the ball right now, but an Aiyuk extension also impacts that possibility down the road. It will depend on the development of their young corners, with four players in that room with a combined 13 NFL starts.
While the idea of a Brandon Aiyuk trade seems fun, the timing isn’t right for the Cardinals to give up draft assets and extend Aiyuk for top dollar. Instead, they need to continue the course of evaluating their roster and making the right additions to the club while hoping their young core of players will put them in a position to compete for a championship.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
