Arizona Cardinals running back has eyes on enormous payday
By Jim Koch
Running backs around the NFL are cashing in, and you can be sure that Kenyan Drake of the Arizona Cardinals is taking notice
The starting running back of the Arizona Cardinals has to be licking his chops. On Saturday, Kenyan Drake watched as two of his peers were handed huge pay raises from their respective teams. Could the Cards second-year player be next in line for a lucrative new deal from his current employer?
With the league’s opening Sunday just hours away, the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings made their number-one ball -carriers extremely happy. Alvin Kamara, a fourth-year professional, inked a five-year, $75 million extension with the Saints. Not long after, the Vikings announced that they had signed Dalvin Cook to a five-year, $63 million contract.
At the moment, Drake is set to collect $8.483 million from the Cardinals in 2020. Unable to reach an agreement with the organization on a long-term deal, the 26-year old signed the one-year tender offer from Arizona back in March. Drake’s plan is to put up impressive numbers for the squad this coming fall, with hopes of cashing in on a multi-year contract in the near future.
In October of 2019, the Cards acquired Drake from the Miami Dolphins for a fifth-round pick in this past April’s draft. The 6’1, 211 pounder quickly picked up head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, and proceeded to run roughshod over opposing defenses. In eight games with the Cardinals, Drake rumbled for 643 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns.
It would behoove Arizona’s front office to try to get Drake extended as soon as possible. Next offseason, the franchise has a plethora of unrestricted free agents to deal with, and will likely lose a few of them. Included on that list, besides Drake, are Patrick Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald, De’Vondre Campbell, J.R. Sweezy. Corey Peters, Andy Lee and Zane Gonzalez.
In the past month, the Cards handed wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins a two-year, $54.5 million extension, and also added four seasons and $59 million onto safety Budda Baker’s current contract. Two proactive moves by general manager Steve Keim and his cohorts that showed incredible foresight. Perhaps Drake will be the next one in line to benefit from the Cardinals recent acts of generosity.