4 potential salary-cap casualties for the Cardinals in 2022
By Jim Koch
Jordan Hicks – Inside Linebacker
With the 16th-overall selection of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cardinals acquired a replacement for veteran Jordan Hicks. That plan for inside linebacker was put on hold when rookie Zaven Collins couldn’t cut the mustard, but financial concerns may force the 22-year-old into action this coming fall.
Hicks is set to count $9.5 million towards Arizona’s salary cap in 2022, so logic indicates that Collins will be taking over for the 29-year-old next season. Cutting Hicks will free up $6.5 million in cap dollars, money that could be better spent elsewhere.
The Cards showed Hicks a lack of respect last year, and the defender’s time in the desert could now be over. If it is, Collins will be counted on to step up in a big way when Hicks departs.