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The Arizona Cardinals have made a big splash between free agency and the NFL draft, signing star tight end Trey McBride to a huge extension of four years and $76 million with $43 million guaranteed. The deal makes him the highest-paid tight-end in annual value in NFL history.
He surpasses Travis Kelce's previous high by a healthy amount. His new annual value is $19 million, while Kelce's high was previously $17.1 million.
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McBride was selected 55th overall in the 2022 NFL draft by the Cardinals. He had a quiet first season and a slow second season behind veteran tight end Zach Ertz, but broke out towards the end of his sophomore season, finishing with 81 receptions for 825 yards and three touchdowns.
He followed that up with a 111-reception season on 147 targets and two touchdowns, showing another clear jump in play with a 1,146-yard season. Besides the lack of touchdowns, McBride has been one of the best receiving options, not just at tight end, but in general, in the NFL.
While he hasn't really proved it for multiple seasons, McBride clearly has the talent to live up to this contract. He made it to the Pro Bowl last season and even added a rushing touchdown, showing off his baseline talent level and potential versatility going forward.
With this new contract, McBride should be a focal point of the Cardinals' offense along with Marvin Harrison Jr. while catching passes from Kyler Murray.
In terms of the timing of the contract, now was as good of a time as ever given the other tight ends who might get paid a lot soon. Sam Laporta and Brock Bowers are also young tight ends who will get paid a lot soon, so being the team to set the market is a good idea.
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That makes this contract even better, as it would have been tough for the team to dawdle on an extension when other even younger, arguably as talented options are waiting for extensions of their own.
Overall, this extension seems like a lot on paper, increasing the highest annual value for a tight end in NFL history by $2 million, but that doesn't mean McBride isn't worth it. He is a clear top option at the position at just 25 years old, and has room to grow even more.
The Cardinals should be extremely happy with this deal in the future, especially when Brock Bowers and Sam Laporta get paid over $20 million annually.
Grade: A
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About the writer
Seth Quinn is a contributing sports writer based in Massachusetts. His focus is on sports, primarily the NFL and NBA. He has in depth ... Read more