Cardinals make Trey McBride highest-paid tight end in NFL history with 4-year extension

New York Times

03-04-2025

By Dianna Russini, Doug Haller and Cale Clinton
The Arizona Cardinals announced a massive extension with third-year tight end Trey McBride Thursday afternoon. The four-year extension is worth $76 million with $43 million guaranteed, a team source confirmed to The Athletic.
McBride's $19 million in average annual value (AAV) makes him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, while his $43 million is the most guaranteed money for a tight end in the league, according to Over the Cap. The 25-year-old's contract resets the market for a new wave of tight ends. Before his record-setting extension, four of the top five tight end contracts by AAV were held by players 30 years or older.
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The Cardinals drafted McBride 55th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. In just his second season, he led Arizona in receptions (81) and receiving yards (825) while starting just 12 of his 17 appearances. In 2024, McBride once again led the team in both metrics, with his 111 receptions fourth among all receivers and his 1,146 receiving yards second among all tight ends.
Over the last two seasons, McBride's 192 receptions led all tight ends in the league, while his 1,971 receiving yards were second to only George Kittle.
GM Monti Ossenfort made it clear at the NFL Scouting Combine that locking up McBride was a priority. 'Absolutely,'' he said. 'Trey's a guy that does everything the right way. He's a good leader for us on and off the field, he works, he prepares and he produces.'
Since Arizona drafted McBride in the second round of the 2022 draft, he's gotten better every season. At first, with him playing behind Zach Ertz, it was hard to see. In 2023, however, it became clear. McBride replaced an injured Ertz as the team's primary tight end and became the Cardinals' top receiving threat. He broke a team record for catches by a tight end with 81 and produced a team-high 825 receiving yards.
Last season, McBride was even better, emerging as one of the top tight ends in the game, a playmaker and security blanket for quarterback Kyler Murray. His 111 catches were fourth highest by a tight end in league history. Throughout the season, Murray said McBride, 25, was still growing, still improving. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said the same at the combine.
'He's not a one-trick pony,' Gannon said. 'He can block in the run game. He can beat you on first, second and third level. Run after the catch. … But the mental part of the game I think he can take strides. The physical part of the game I think he can take strides. He's got a lot of good ball in him left.'
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In his short time in Arizona, Ossenfort has done a nice job reshaping the roster, and also keeping important building blocks in place. In the past year, he has signed safety Budda Baker and running back James Conner to extensions. Now McBride. It's given fans confidence in the organization's direction. — Doug Haller, Arizona senior writer