Cardinals getting several players at a bargain rate in 2022

There are several significant players on the Arizona Cardinals roster who’ll be performing at an extremely cheap rate in 2022.

The Arizona Cardinals entered the 2022 offseason with very little salary-cap space to work with. There were several top-tier free agents on the open market who could’ve helped the Cards, but the lack of funds forced management to veer away from those high-priced individuals.

Arizona is already paying a number of the club’s own players a significant amount of cash. The salary-cap hits of top performers like D.J. Humphries ($19.3 million), J.J. Watt ($15.9 million), DeAndre Hopkins ($15.7 million), and Budda Baker ($14.7 million) will take a sizable chunk out of the $208.2 million that the NFL has allotted for the upcoming campaign.

At the other end of those exorbitant salaries are a bevy of team-friendly contracts. For the time being at least, the Cardinals get to reap the rewards of those who have clearly outplayed their current deals.

Several Arizona Cardinals will play for much less than they deserve in 2022

Many of the league’s observers criticized the Redbirds for trading away a first-round draft pick for Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. But from general manager Steve Keim’s point of view, the organization is getting a starting wide receiver who’ll make a measly $2.1 million in 2022. The Cards need to enjoy it while they can, however, since Brown’s base salary will jump to $13.4 million in 2023.

Second-year-pro Rondale Moore is another Arizona wideout who could turn out to be one heck of a bargain this coming fall. The young receiver is expected to be handed a hefty workload, and could ultimately outperform the paltry $1.5 million he’ll make in his sophomore season.

Marco Wilson was an integral part of the “Big Red” defense in 2021 as a rookie, and the talented cornerback should expect more of the same in his second year as a professional. The talented cornerback is slated to be paid an incredibly reasonable $987,595 as one of the Cardinals’ top three cover guys for the upcoming season.

Will Hernandez is penciled in to be the Cards’ starting right guard, after agreeing to a one-year contract with the franchise back in March. The squad’s offensive line has been handed an experienced blocker (56 pro starts) for the low, low price of just over $1 million in 2022.

(Salary information provided by Spotrac.com)