Cardinals GM Won’t Rule Out Contract Extensions

GLENDALE — The Arizona Cardinals have a handful of potential contract extensions to address ahead of the 2024 season.

General manager Monti Ossenfort stepped to the podium and answered questions from local reporters for roughly 15 minutes over the weekend and was asked about some major pending deals set to expire – names such as Budda Baker and James Conner come to mind.

Ossenfort didn’t give much away.

“I think those are case by case. I think we got players that are at varying different contract levels. Some are signed long-term, some are up after this year. I think different players fall under different categories. I think really that’s a case-by-case basis, and we’ll deal with with those as they come up,” said Ossenfort.

Baker – also asked about his contract status with the team earlier in camp – didn’t give much away either.

“For me, I”m just controlling what I can control. Just controlling [focus] on having a great season as a team and of course personally, but as a team,” Baker said.

“Just winning games and letting everything else take care of itself. Mentally I’m looking forward to this season and looking forward to playing great football with the guys and winning games – that’s my sole focus.”

Conner – who just hit his first 1,000-yard rushing season with the organization – is also set to hit free agency next offseason.

“It’d be awesome to finish my career here, but no, nothing changes. If anything, it’s time to turn it up even more going into my last year of the deal,” Conner said previously.

“Thankful I got the chance to see the last year of it, so I’ll go into it, give everything I got this year and see what happens next year. Hopefully [I will] stay but I understand the business.”

Baker and Conner are both big names Arizona will have to decide on eventually, though there’s other names the Cardinals will have to take care of ahead of 2025’s free agency cycle.

The team’s leading tackler from 2023 Kyzir White is set to hit the open market along with starting linemen Will Hernandez/Hjlate Froholdt and former first-round pick Zaven Collins among others.

We’ll see if any deals get done ahead of the regular season – though Ossenfort (no pun intended) is keeping the cards close to his chest.