The Arizona Cardinals have fallen behind in the fight for the NFC West title — and while they are still in the playoff hunt — they will likely need some help to make the postseason this year.
Still, it’s clear second-year head coach Jonathan Gannon is building a core nucleus mixed with young players like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride, and veterans like Kyler Murray and James Conner.
The Cardinals recently locked down Conner to a contract extension, keeping one of the top running backs in the NFL in-house before he could get to free agency.
While Gannon is known for his defensive prowess, the Cardinals defense is still a work in progress but has shown improvement.
There’s been a lot of chatter about the future of their best defensive player, safety Budda Baker, but on Tuesday they made a massive decision regarding his future.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Arizona Cardinals reached a 3-year extension with Baker worth $54 million.
That gives them a key piece to build around on the defensive side of the ball and the Cardinals brass continues to make an effort to keep their key pieces in place.
The Cardinals took care of business beating the New England Patriots, winning 30-17 in an inconsistent performance. But the Green Bay Packers knocked off the Seahawks to bring Seattle back to the pack in the NFC West.
So now the Seahawks and Rams are one game ahead of the Cardinals for the lead in the NFC West.
While the Cardinals. Have an uphill climb, they have the security of locking down a key piece for the future. That’s massive.
