Cardinals WR Michael Floyd says he’s elite: Will he get paid like it?

Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and Julio Jones: All three are NFL wide receivers you might have heard of.

And all three have signed five-year, $70 million-plus contracts with at least $40 million guaranteed to set the market for top-end receivers.

Michael Floyd of the Arizona Cardinals will soon be on the hunt for a new deal, and he was not shy about expressing his expectations when he visited with Burns and Gambo on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Tuesday.

“I’m an elite receiver. Since I’ve been drafted, I always thought of myself as being that guy,” said Floyd, who pulled in 52 receptions for 849 yards and six touchdowns in 2015.

Floyd, who has never been one to ask for more touches, believes he’ll get his chances to earn a big payday despite only crossing the 1,000-yard threshold one time in four seasons and despite splitting the field with a bevy of talented receivers.

“My play and how I do things out on the field is how that kind of track is going to be laid out,” Floyd said of his contract expectations. “I think it’s putting up big numbers. When we get down to the red zone, that’s when you make all your money.

“As you get down there, you got to make the plays when it counts,” he added. “I think with Carson, he’s going to give me them chances. It’s up to me to make them.”

Larry Fitzgerald (145 targets in 2015), John Brown (101 targets) and even running back David Johnson (57 targets) will compete with Floyd (89 targets) for balls thrown Palmer once again.

Floyd’s high expectations may be attainable or not. What is known is the 13th overall pick by the Cardinals in the 2012 NFL Draft would be happy to re-sign with Arizona.

“I got drafted here and I never planned to leave here at all,” he said. “My main goal, my focus was to stay in one place my whole career. I would love to stay here.”

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