Will Cardinals Re-Sign Top Free Agent?
ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals move into the 2025 offseason with few high priority items to take care of, at least in house.
The Cardinals handled prior extensions for figures such as Zaven Collins, Budda Baker, James Conner and Hjalte Froholdt before the season ended. The massive contract extension incoming for Trey McBride is at the top of the to-do list for general manager Monti Ossenfort, though when evaluating their pending free agent class, only one name sticks out above the rest.
Linebacker Kyzir White arrived to the desert with head coach Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis in the 2023 offseason. White - brought over from the trio's previous time in Philadelphia - helped establish a new sense of culture in Arizona while also being ultra productive in the Cardinals' front seven the last two seasons.
White is set to depart for free agency this offseason, however, and it's unknown if he'll return for more time in the desert.
The linebacker made a good-bye post to Arizona on Instagram (which you can read more about here) that suggested he would at least test the market shortly down the road.
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler says the Cardinals "could" re-sign White:
"He is a key cog in coach Jonathan Gannon's defensive system, racking up 200-plus tackles since 2023. The Cardinals extended safety Budda Baker recently and could attempt to do the same with White, one of the better inside linebackers on the market."
- ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Kyzir White
White and Budda Baker were the two leaders of a Cardinals defense that showed some pretty impressive improvement through 2024, and head coach Jonathan Gannon says the duo has been strong on the field:
“It's good. They're in the middle, so they should hit the ball a lot. I feel like they're both impacting the game for us and how we set it up. They'll both tell you they want some plays back, but they made a lot of plays for us," said Gannon.
"I think in general, we have to make sure that the tackling is on point, not for those two, for everybody. Especially late in the year here, I felt like we missed a couple too many, but Budda and Kyzir are playing well.”
White finished 2024 with 137 tackles, three passes defensed, 2.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovered.
The Cardinals could look to find an inside linebacker who is an upgrade in terms of pass coverage, as White undoubtedly is a better run specialist.
Arizona does have the speedy Owen Pappoe behind White, though do the Cardinals trust him to be a full-time starter next to Mack Wilson? Fellow inside linebacker Krys Barnes also is set to hit free agency with White.
The Cardinals could address the linebacker position in the draft with Georgia Bulldogs star Jalon Walker - you can read more about that here.