Cardinals Speak on Hjalte Froholdt's Contract Extension

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon met with reporters and praised the newly extended Hjalte Froholdt.

Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Cardinals guard Hjalte Froholdt (72) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- Arizona Cardinals starting center Hjalte Froholdt is having quite the two-day stretch.

Yesterday was Froholdt's birthday, turning 28 years old ahead of his second season in the desert.

After blowing out the cake and candles, Froholdt put pen to paper and inked a two-year contract extension today.

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reports it's worth $12 million with $8 million guaranteed.

Well, maybe Froholdt didn't have some celebratory birthday cake, but rather a steak:

"He's a different cat. I kind of connect with that, I don't want to say meathead, but I kind of connect with that a little bit. It was his birthday yesterday. I said, 'Get yourself a steak.' and he says, 'Absolutely.'" Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters ahead of practice.

"I said, 'no cake and ice cream.' and he goes, 'no way.' And then we're talking about how he's going to get his steak done and I think he ended on, 'it's just going to be bloody rare!' - it's just how he is. I don't even know how old he turned. He's young still, but, yeah he's a cool character, man. He really is."

Froholdt initially signed as a free agent last offseason and immediately assumed starting center duties in Arizona.

Not only did he steady the ship for the Cardinals at center - the desert viking has ensured he set the example for everyone else in the locker room.

"He's exactly what you want in a Cardinal, and glad to see Monti [Ossenfort] and his people and himself got that done. Excited for him. He deserves every penny," Gannon said, who was also asked about what's been impressive about Froholdt.

"Hjalte has been all in on maximizing himself as a player, and he's been all in with how I want our guys to operate on a day-to-day basis, team-first and displaying winning behavior, and he's done a good job.

"It's cool to reward guys for that."