Next Cardinals Extension Candidates

Who is next to have their contract extended by the Arizona Cardinals?

Oct 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) celebrates tackling Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) for a short gain in the thirdquarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The ink is still wet on James Conner's newest extension with the Arizona Cardinals, as the organization has checked a massive box ahead of the 2025 offseason.

With their star running back no longer hitting free agency, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort can now progress through his to-do list of next expiring contracts to handle.

Who exactly is up next - if anybody - remains to be seen, though Ossenfort previously said there's no timeline for contract extensions in terms of work being done through the season.

“There’s been discussions with a lot of players. Some of those, it always takes two to get a deal done. Those are individually based and we’ll see how those go as we go throughout the year," he said.

“I don’t know (if) there’s a hard and fast rule about before the season starts and once the season starts (talks are) over. I think those are always case-by-case.

There's six weeks of regular season football left - who should the Cardinals prioritize moving forward?

Budda Baker

Oct 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) celebrates tackling Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) for a short gain in the thirdquarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The heart and soul of the Cardinals' locker room is still without an extension, though Conner's recent deal shows Arizona is indeed active at this point in time, giving hope that Baker will remain in the desert for the foreseeable future.

The Cardinals' safety is putting up historically good numbers this season, and is making a great case to be paid by a contender in 2025. Money is no problem for Arizona with $97.5 million in effective cap space next offseason - second most in the NFL according to OverTheCap.

After locking up the offense's leader, it's time for the Cardinals to do the same on the other side of the ball and keep building on head coach Jonathan Gannon's culture shift.

Kyzir White

Nov 3, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White (7) and Zaven Collins (25) in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

If Baker is the No. 1 leader on Arizona's defense, White is a very close second.

The former Eagles linebacker was brought over under Gannon and DC Nick Rallis to orchestrate and run Arizona's defense - which is something White has done successfully for the last two seasons now.

White is by no means the biggest name on the team and sometimes does get overlooked, though his production, dog mentality and leadership in the front seven has been a big reason why the Cardinals have improved defensively.

Other Notable Options

Will Hernandez - Hernandez played very well before hitting injured reserve. Arizona's offensive line has played fine without him, though he's an obvious upgrade at right guard when healthy that could make their play even better.

Evan Brown - Brown signed last offseason and took full grasp of starting duties at left guard. His play hasn't been spectacular, though he steadied the ship at a spot that was nothing more than a rotating door all of last season.

Baron Browning - Browning was Arizona's lone trade acquisition at the deadline and has made a few plays since arriving. The Cardinals didn't give up much to get him, but it'd be nice to see his window extended here.

L.J. Collier, Roy Lopez - I grouped these two defensive linemen together simply because they both are leaders in that respective room and have flashed potential throughout the season. Solid guys that Gannon covets for a reason.