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Some might consider it a matter of semantics, but the universal notion that the new contract for Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride is worth $19 million a year (to make him the highest-paid tight end in league history) is an exaggeration.
With the details now known, there indeed is $76 million of new money in the deal. The question is whether that should be divided by four or five considering McBride essentially signed a new, five-year contract.
His base salary for the 2025 season slightly increased ($5.346 million to $5.414 million) from what it was scheduled to be and is now guaranteed and there is the presence of a $16.5 million signing bonus along with an offseason workout bonus and per-game roster bonuses. That has resulted in a salary-cap charge of $9.574 million, which is larger than the previous $5.786 million.
It is truly now a five-year deal worth $81.346 million, which is an average of $16.27 million.
This is not meant to rain on McBride’s parade; it’s simply noting the reality of how contract terms are routinely inflated in the initial reporting that becomes public.
That’s also the case with the report of the contract including $43 million of guaranteed money. It does. However, $32.5 million is fully guaranteed at signing with another $10.5 million guaranteed for injury only with it becoming fully guaranteed at later dates.
The full guarantee of $32.5 million includes the signing bonus, base salaries of $5.414 million this year and $3.086 million in 2026 plus a 2026 option bonus of $7.5 million that is essentially guaranteed because if the Cardinals elect not to exercise the option bonus, that figure will be added to the 2026 salary and be guaranteed.
Currently, the option bonus is prorated at $1.875 million per year in the final four years of the contract. Under what circumstances would the Cardinals not exercise the bonus? It’s likely they will see where they are with the cap after the season. Adding that $7.5 million to the 2026 salary would make it all count against the cap while reducing the cap charges for the final three years.
As it stands now, the cap figures are $9.574 million this year, $8.701 million in 2026, $16.141 million in 2027, $24.175 million in 2028 and $23.175 million in 2029.
For the $10.5 million of injury-only guarantees, $3 million of his 2027 base salary of $10.526 million becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2026 league year, while another $10 million becomes a full guarantee on the fifth day of the 2027 league year.
The base salaries in the final two years are $18.56 and $16.06 million, respectively.
The contract also includes a non-guaranteed $1.5 million roster bonus in 2029, per-game roster bonuses of $20,000 for a max total each year of $340,000 and $100,000 offseason workout bonuses each year.
For the 18 signed players with published contract details (McBride, Jake Curhan, Kelvin Beachum, Zay Jones, Royce Newman, Zay Jones, Simi Fehoko, Jacoby Brissett, Dalvin Tomlinson, Josh Sweat, Baron Browning, Mykal Walker, L.J. Collier, Evan Brown, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joey Blount, Aaron Brewer and Travis Vokolek) plus the 1-year restricted free-agent tender for Greg Dortch, the total cap hit this year for those players is $60.288 million, counting McBride’s cap increase of $3.788 million.
The only player not included yet is Calais Campbell.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Trey McBride salary, contract details, cap hit with Arizona Cardinals
Continue reading...
With the details now known, there indeed is $76 million of new money in the deal. The question is whether that should be divided by four or five considering McBride essentially signed a new, five-year contract.
His base salary for the 2025 season slightly increased ($5.346 million to $5.414 million) from what it was scheduled to be and is now guaranteed and there is the presence of a $16.5 million signing bonus along with an offseason workout bonus and per-game roster bonuses. That has resulted in a salary-cap charge of $9.574 million, which is larger than the previous $5.786 million.
It is truly now a five-year deal worth $81.346 million, which is an average of $16.27 million.
This is not meant to rain on McBride’s parade; it’s simply noting the reality of how contract terms are routinely inflated in the initial reporting that becomes public.
That’s also the case with the report of the contract including $43 million of guaranteed money. It does. However, $32.5 million is fully guaranteed at signing with another $10.5 million guaranteed for injury only with it becoming fully guaranteed at later dates.
The full guarantee of $32.5 million includes the signing bonus, base salaries of $5.414 million this year and $3.086 million in 2026 plus a 2026 option bonus of $7.5 million that is essentially guaranteed because if the Cardinals elect not to exercise the option bonus, that figure will be added to the 2026 salary and be guaranteed.
Currently, the option bonus is prorated at $1.875 million per year in the final four years of the contract. Under what circumstances would the Cardinals not exercise the bonus? It’s likely they will see where they are with the cap after the season. Adding that $7.5 million to the 2026 salary would make it all count against the cap while reducing the cap charges for the final three years.
As it stands now, the cap figures are $9.574 million this year, $8.701 million in 2026, $16.141 million in 2027, $24.175 million in 2028 and $23.175 million in 2029.
For the $10.5 million of injury-only guarantees, $3 million of his 2027 base salary of $10.526 million becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2026 league year, while another $10 million becomes a full guarantee on the fifth day of the 2027 league year.
The base salaries in the final two years are $18.56 and $16.06 million, respectively.
The contract also includes a non-guaranteed $1.5 million roster bonus in 2029, per-game roster bonuses of $20,000 for a max total each year of $340,000 and $100,000 offseason workout bonuses each year.
For the 18 signed players with published contract details (McBride, Jake Curhan, Kelvin Beachum, Zay Jones, Royce Newman, Zay Jones, Simi Fehoko, Jacoby Brissett, Dalvin Tomlinson, Josh Sweat, Baron Browning, Mykal Walker, L.J. Collier, Evan Brown, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Joey Blount, Aaron Brewer and Travis Vokolek) plus the 1-year restricted free-agent tender for Greg Dortch, the total cap hit this year for those players is $60.288 million, counting McBride’s cap increase of $3.788 million.
The only player not included yet is Calais Campbell.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Trey McBride salary, contract details, cap hit with Arizona Cardinals
Continue reading...
