With Carson Palmer turning 37 this coming December and Larry Fitzgerald nearing 33, the Cardinals are currently operating within a championship window that could close at a moment's notice. But on Friday, the front office ensured that window will continue for the next couple seasons.
As first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cardinals signed both Palmer and Fitzgerald to one-year extensions, which means Fitzgerald will remain in Arizona through the 2017 season and Palmer will be there through 2018. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported that Palmer will get a $6.75 million signing bonus and his $15.5 million salary for 2017 is now guaranteed for injury.
Here are more financial details, via La Canfora:
Palmer's 2017 guarantee becomes fully guaranteed for skill in march and he also has $2m in roster bonuses in 17. 18 salary is $12.5M...
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 5, 2016
Carson Palmer also has a $1.5M roster bonus in 2018 however, there are no '18 guarantees in this extension. That money is not guaranteed now
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 5, 2016
It'd be difficult to find someone who disapproves of these deals. Though both players are old, they're still performing at their peaks.
A year ago, Palmer finished with the league's third-highest passer rating (104.6), the fourth-most yards (4,671), and tied for the second-most touchdowns (35). He also led the league with 8.7 yards per pass. Fitzgerald, on the other hand, tied for the fifth-most catches (109), ranked ninth in receiving yards (1,215), and hauled in nine touchdowns.
Together, the two players helmed one of the league's most explosive offenses, which averaged a league-high 408.3 yards per game and 30.6 points per game (second-highest in the NFL). They also produced one of the most memorable moments of the playoffs when the duo dragged the Cardinals to the NFC Championship Game.
This is the play before The Play after The Other Play:
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2016
Larry Fitzgerald starts OT with a 75-yard catch #BeRedSeeRedhttps://t.co/PQIxOy1FMX
Game on the line?
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2016
Presenting Larry Fitzgerald...FOR THE WIN! #GBvsAZ#BeRedSeeRedhttps://t.co/GZoknPvs52
Barring any significant injuries, the Cardinals should continue to spar with the Seahawks for the top spot in the NFC West in the years to come. Last year, the Cardinals emerged as the victors with a 13-win season that ended two weeks before the Super Bowl.
The extensions will also give the Cardinals more time to ease into their next era, as it grants them a few more years to identity Palmer's successor while younger receivers like John Brown, Michael Floyd, J.J. Nelson, and Jaron Brown will be allowed to ease into larger roles in Bruce Arians' offense.