Arizona Cardinals need to keep Markus Golden in the desert
By Jim Koch
One of the most pleasant surprises of the Arizona Cardinals 2020 campaign occurred back in October. About a week and a half before the NFL’s trade deadline, general manager Steve Keim brought an old friend back to the desert. That player is now scheduled to hit free agency, and would like nothing more than to remain with the Cardinals organization.
Markus Golden, a second-round selection of the Cards back in 2015, has been a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Many of the squad’s followers were disappointed when the front office allowed the outside linebacker to sign with the New York Giants in March of 2019. Now that Golden is back, there are plenty of fans that would like Keim to prevent his departure from happening again.
Golden’s current situation with Arizona is once again a tricky one. Some major decisions need to be made at the edge-rusher position, choices that could quite possibly exclude the 29-year old from the team’s plans. Apparently, that would sadden the well-liked and passionate Golden.
“Thank you to the Cardinals for bringing me back here,” Golden said the day after the Redbirds were eliminated from the playoffs. “Everybody that’s involved in the organization, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to come back and be a Cardinal. I’ll never forget this and I really appreciate it. ”
The roadblock standing in the way of Golden returning lies in the fact that former first-round selection Haason Reddick also has an expiring contract. In 16 appearances (11 starts) last fall, the 26-year old Reddick racked up 63 tackles, 16 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, four passes defensed and a team-leading 12.5 sacks for the Cards. It’s apparent that the club has finally found the perfect role for the former Temple University product, and it would be a shame at this point to allow him to leave.
Another problem for Golden is the huge money that Arizona has tied up in sack artist Chandler Jones. The three-time Pro Bowler will count $20.8 million against the 2021 salary cap. That kind of allocated cash, combined with what it would cost to re-sign Reddick, could make it extremely difficult to retain Golden.
The classy Golden is a perfect fit in the Cardinals locker room. On the field, the 6’3, 260 pounder is the type of high-motor performer that any defensive coordinator would love to have. Keim and his cohorts need to do as much as they can to keep the valuable Golden in an Arizona uniform for years to come.