The Arizona Cardinals have one of the special tight ends in the entire NFL in Trey McBride. However, they almost lost him when it came time to negotiate a contract extension.
McBride recently recalled how the Cardinals lowballed him in negotiations, offering around $12 million a year before the two sides landed on a four-year, $76 million deal.
“Maybe I go somewhere else,” McBride said on Bussin’ with the Boys. “Maybe I play my last year and explore my options, and then, finally, they wanted to get it done.”
Had McBride hit the open market, there would be a massive amount of interest in him. After all, he had a monster season in 2025, snagging 126 passes for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Cardinals later upped that offer to $64 million total and $16 million annually. That ended up tempting McBride, but his agent had him hold out for more.
“I was like, ‘(Expletive), dude. 64 (million). Oh my god. I could buy so many Zips wings,’” McBride said. “I’m like, just everything that’s going through my mind, I’m like, ‘Dude, let’s lock it in.’”
That ended up being the right choice for McBride. The Cardinals raised their price again, eventually making McBride the top-paid tight end in the NFL, even if George Kittle has since surpassed that mark.
Trey McBride Noted a Lack of Arizona Cardinals Fans
GettyArizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride
During that same interview on Bussin’ with the Boys, the topic of Arizona Cardinals fans came up. Host Taylor Lewan noted that he remembered fans popping up, but then going away, around the time of their Super Bowl run. Trey McBride ran with that, explaining that because many people living in Arizona aren’t local, the Cardinals do suffer from a lack of fans.
“It’s like, living in Arizona, everyone — no one’s from Arizona,” McBride said. “Everyone comes and has moved in from another state. So, they’re all fans of their own teams. So, now you have the Arizona that sits there and there’s no Arizona fans in Arizona.”
By no means are the Cardinals the only team where this is true. Still, it can be frustrating for players.
“So, it’s a tough deal,” McBride said. “Hopefully, we start winning some games and we can bring some of those fans back.”
Almost kicking Cardinals fans when they were down, McBride added some praise for Seattle Seahawks fans. That’s where he believes it’s the toughest place to play in the NFL.
“To be honest, it’s Seattle,” McBride said. “That’s a tough place to play. Their defense is a bunch of sh-t-talkers. They have a really good team, too. I feel like every time we go to Seattle, it’s such a hostile environment. Lumen field is such a cool place to play, and they’ve gotten the best of us the last couple of times. So, it’d be nice to get back on the winning side for sure.”
The Cardinals are Working on Several Key Contracts
GettyArizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett
This offseason has been marked by several contract negotiations for the Arizona Cardinals. Perhaps the most notable of those nationally has been of quarterback Jacoby Brissett. However, those negotiations seem to have largely stalled. Reports are that the two sides remain “significantly” far apart.
Then, there are a pair of potentially more important contracts in the long-term. The Cardinals need to extend left tackle Paris Johnson and wide receiver Michael Wilson.
Johnson is, reportedly, seeking a $40 million annual contract. That’s a massive number, and if the Cardinals lowball the same way that they were willing to lowball McBride, then it could end up being a long negotiation.
After that is Wilson. Regarded as one of the most underrated wide receivers in the NFL, he’ll command another large contract extension. He says he would love to re-sign with the Cardinals and that he loves the state of Arizona. However, he also does expect to be compensated for his excellent play.
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