After capping off his 2024 campaign with 1,146 receiving yards, it was an obvious choice for general manager Monti Ossenfort to extend tight end Trey McBride, as it was his second to last year under contract.
Ossenfort signed McBride to a four-year contract worth $76 millon with $43 million guaranteed. A deal that not only tied the now 26-year-old to the franchise through the 2029 season, but also made him the highest paid tight end in NFL history, passing Kansas City’s Travis Kelce.
While he had eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career, McBride only caught two touchdown passes all season. It is not a question of if he deserved an extension or not, it was more towards whether the Cardinals got the AAV correct.
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However, McBride silenced the critics in 2025 with a season that saw career highs in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. McBride hauled in the most passes ever for a tight end with 126, breaking Zach Ertz, the previous holder of the honor in which he set in 2018. Those receptions amounted to 1,239 receiving yards, which was sixth amongst all pass catchers. On top of setting a record, McBride caught 11 touchdowns, which was a huge leap from years prior.
McBride established himself as a true threat in any situation, and put up very solid performances in what turned out to be a pretty competitive receiving room with Marvin Harrison Jr., as well as the emergence of Michael Wilson also competing for targets.
So was the contract worth it? Absolutely! Who cares that the Cardinals broke the bank in a year where they didn’t exactly plan on contending, because it was clearly important in their minds to retain one of their premier pass catchers.
Despite only winning three games, 2025 was the year of Trey McBride. It will be intriguing to see how he follows up this historic season in 2026.