Cardinals reportedly restructure contracts of C Hudson, LB Hicks

The Arizona Cardinals have continued carving out more cap space this offseason despite most of their major roster holes being plugged.

According to OverTheCap, the team has restructured the contracts of newly acquired center Rodney Hudson and linebacker Jordan Hicks, both of whom have deals going through 2022.

Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reports that the latest restructures — the Cardinals previously shaved cap space out from left guard Justin Pugh’s deal — aren’t about large impending moves. Rather, they’re to free up space for any late free agent signings, mid-year additions and the upcoming draft.

Hudson’s contract, which he signed as a member of the Raiders, was previously going to carry a $9.9 million cap hit, according to Spotrac.

OverTheCap’s update has that number down to $2.9 million, as his base salary dropped from $9.6 million to $1.1 million upon the restructure. A new signing bonus appears that counts $1.8 million against the cap in 2021 and is prorated at that amount for each of the next four years after that.

Combined, Hudson’s new deal makes for a $5.3 million cap hit in 2023 to account for 2022, when his contract ends, plus three voided years after he plays through the deal.

The savings on Hicks’ new deal are smaller but still significant with a base salary that dips from $6 million under the old contract to just $2 million.

The cap hit listed by Spotrac to be $9 million before the restructure is now down to $6 million, per OverTheCap.

Hicks signed a four-year, $34 million deal to join Arizona from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019.

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