The Arizona Cardinals and wide receiver Michael Wilson have to terms on a new 3 year, $75M extension which could be worth as much as $78M if all incentives are reached. The pact will reportedly feature $47M in guaranteed money.
The 4th year pass catcher is coming off a breakout 2025 NFL campaign in which he set career highs in games (17), receptions (78), yards (1,006) and TDs (7) amongst others. Wilson was one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise forgetful season for the Cards in which the team dealt with a multitude of injuries en route to a 3-14 record.
“It’s awesome,” coach Mike LaFleur told reporters Thursday. “It’s great for the Cardinals. It’s great for his teammates, this locker room. It’s good for our fanbase. Anyone that really knows Mike, I mean, you can’t help but root for the guy. So that’s awesome.”
“It’s awesome for the organization,” LaFleur continued. “Now you put all that aside and you just say the football player, this is a special player who I don’t even think has even come close to reaching how good he could be.”
Negotiations on a long term extension had been ongoing for the past several months, but little progress had been made between the two sides. However, Wilson’s willingness to ink a higher AAV, shorter term deal reignited talks and ultimately helped get them across the finish line.
Originally selected in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the former Stanford Cardinal figures to play a prominent role for Arizona this season as they transition from longtime QB Kyler Murray under centre. The club will hope that fellow wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. can remain healthy this season, while Trey McBride will look to build off his 1st team All-Pro selection last season.
The Cardinals also added Kendrick Bourne in the offseason, and drafted running back Jeremiyah Love 3rd overall in this spring’s draft. While their roster still has plenty of holes to fix, Arizona should be a more complete offence in 2026, while still regularly playing from behind on most weekends. That kind of game script should favour Wilson, Harrison and McBride in their efforts to have more productive statistical seasons.
With another top draft pick likely on the horizon, and Wilson now firmly entrenched as part of the team’s future plans, things are starting to look up for a Cardinals team that could begin to see their window to compete open in the not so distant future.
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