GM: Arizona Cardinals contract extension talks don’t stop at start of the season

Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort believes that the start of the 2024 season does not always represent a hard deadline to reach contract extensions with his currently employed players.

The Cardinals have reached notable extensions with starting center Hjalte Froholdt and pass rusher Zaven Collins this offseason, but the franchise enters the season with three of its four captains entering contract years: Budda Baker, James Conner and Kyzir White.

“We were able to come to terms, excited about getting Zaven and Fro extended,” Ossenfort told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Friday. “There’s been discussions with a lot of players. Some of those, it always takes two to get a deal done. Those are individually based and we’ll see how those go as we go throughout the year.

“I don’t know (if) there’s a hard and fast rule about before the season starts and once the season starts (talks are) over. I think those are always case-by-case. Love that both Budda and James, what they bring to our team as captains, both on the field, off the field, what they do for us, both high-level performers.”

Some teams, players and agents do treat Week 1 as an artificial deadline.

Among the most high-profile cases in the NFL is that of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who spoke to the media on Friday. He said that it was, in his mind, a deadline day to reach an agreement.

The Miami Dolphins made Jalen Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL in a deal reported Friday morning, two days before their season opener, while the Pittsburgh Steelers extended tight end Pat Freiermuth ahead of a self-imposed deadline where the franchise does not negotiate contracts in-season.

Arizona Cardinals captains entering contract seasons in 2024

S Budda Baker — $14.2 million base, $19 million cap hit

RB James Conner — $4.3 million base, $8.9 million cap hit

ILB Kyzir White — $5 million base, $6.8 million cap hit

Arizona Cardinals contract figures via Spotrac.

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