Full list of Arizona Cardinals free agents in 2024

Highlights

• Despite a rough start, the Cardinals ended the season strong under new head coach Jonathan Gannon.
• Arizona’s biggest free agent is wide receiver Marquise Brown, whose potential return is uncertain.
• Other than “Hollywood”, the Cardinals have decisions to make on some possibly solid role players.

The Arizona Cardinals showed some flashes in Jonathan Gannon’s first year as head coach. Playing without starting quarterback Kyler Murray, the Cardinals went only 1-8 through the first nine weeks of the 2023 campaign. But when Murray returned, the team many projected to finish dead-last in the league won three of eight games to end the season.

Arizona punched above its weight-class and KO’d two playoff-bound opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, on the road in that stretch. During locker clean-out day, Gannon lauded the fight and effort his players brought each day, but acknowledged the Cardinals simply weren’t good enough.

It’s not surprising; only one person has ever turned water into wine. With the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and more than $50 million in cap space this offseason, Arizona has the chance to retain some upside reserve pieces and bring some of the grapes necessary for contention to the desert.

2024 Arizona Cardinals Free Agents

There is one possible gem holding untapped potential on the list

According to Spotrac, the Cardinals have 22 pending free agents. In reality, they have 21. Superstar safety Budda Baker is listed as having a club option for 2024, but is almost universally considered to not be hitting the open market until 2025 after reworking his contract in the 2023 offseason.

Baker played in a career-low 12 games last season, but still ranked second on the Cardinals in tackles and earned a sixth Pro-Bowl invitation. He has been Arizona’s face of the franchise since Larry Fitzgerald’s departure and would create an additional, unnecessary hole in a defense that ranked 31st of 32 teams in points per game allowed. Barring something unexpected, he won’t be going anywhere, but these players might be on their way out:

Marquise Brown, WR

Hollywood could be on his way out

“Hollywood” is an ideal No. 2 receiver in any NFL offense. He hasn’t quite matched the lofty standards other first-round wideouts have set in this day-and-age, but when healthy, he can produce in a variety of ways and shine as a deep-threat. He is among the top five available receivers in GIVEMESPORT’s free agent wide receiver rankings.

There are a number of considerations Arizona’s front office has to make regarding Brown’s future in their building. Through his first six games in a Cardinals uniform, he and Murray displayed the great chemistry they developed at the University of Oklahoma. The duo has played only six games together since then though, and completed the same contest healthy just four times.

Arizona is projected to select Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 overall by most outlets, which would put Brown back in the No. 2 receiver role in their offense. Spotrac’s $14.8 million market projection would place Brown just outside the top 20 receivers in average annual value (AAV), fitting for a player of his caliber. With that being said, the Cardinals also have 11 total picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, six of which fall in the first three rounds.

Is it worth the money long-term for the Cardinals to see if Brown’s spark with Murray is still there? Or, would they be better off allocating the nearly $15 million it’d supposedly take to sign him to address other weak points on the roster and remodeling the receiver room altogether via a second top-100 pick, in addition to Harrison Jr.?

It’s clear Arizona could easily retain their long big-name free agent if they so desired, but recent comments suggest they may not have that itch. General manager Monti Ossenfort recently made it clear he wants to build through the draft and won’t overpay in free agency. If he views Brown’s price tag in a lesser light, the receiver will not be playing as a Cardinal next year.

Krys Barnes, LB

The fourth-year pro made his mark on Arizona’s defense in 2023

Barnes, an undrafted fourth-year pro, made the fifth-most tackles among all Cardinals players in 2023 despite having their defense’s 16th-highest snap share percentage (36.8%). He was a valuable contributor on special teams and ranked third on the roster with six pass defenses. Pro Football Focus gave him a 60.1 grade, second-best among Arizona’s linebackers.

During his rookie and sophomore campaigns with the Green Bay Packers, Barnes notched 80-plus tackles on a 52% snap share. He has been a major liability in coverage throughout his career though: opposing quarterbacks have completed 97/113 (85.8%) of passes when targeting him, posting 811 yards and eight touchdowns despite an average depth of target just over three yards.

Barnes’ coverage limitations will prevent him from ever seeing a huge number of defensive snaps, but he’s a solid depth piece who can contribute on early downs when called upon. He’s the most logical of Arizona’s three free agent linebackers to bring back.

Antonio Hamilton, DB

The 31-year-old could still be an essential depth piece for Arizona

Hamilton has made a nice home for himself with the Cardinals after bouncing between three organizations through his first five seasons. The 31-year-old played more than half of his team’s defensive snaps for the first time in his career and tallied a career-high 11 pass defenses in 14 games (9 starts). He earned a PFF grade of 64.7 for his efforts, slotting squarely in the middle tier of 127 qualified corners (he was 62nd).

Like Barnes, Hamilton offers special teams versatility. He made just under $2.7 million total in separate one-year pacts with Arizona each of the past two years, getting a $300K raise from his 2022 number a season ago. The best professional play Hamilton has put on tape has come as a Cardinal. He’s a quality reserve at worst, and worth hanging onto if you’re Arizona.

Another notable free agent the Cardinals will have to consider is center Pat Elflein, who inked a one-year deal last offseason but missed the entire 2023 campaign due to an undisclosed injury. Elfilein has played only 22 games the last four seasons due to injury, but once earned a three-year, $13.5 million contract from the Carolina Panthers.

Arizona has the ever-solid Hjalte Froholdt back for 2024, so Elflein wouldn’t start if he re-upped. His versatility – previous experience at guard – could lead to an incentive-laden, one-year contract in Arizona or elsewhere.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract figures courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise noted.