The Arizona Cardinals made a breakthrough last season by ending their five-year postseason drought.
They’ve come a long way from 2018 when they won only three games.
In 2021, the Cardinals became a playoff participant for the first time since 2015 after finishing with an 11-6 record.
They have to thank their explosive offense for that achievement, especially Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, and James Conner.
Conner had a career-high 15 touchdowns while Hopkins had eight touchdowns in ten games.
Murray also has 29 total touchdowns and over 4,100 total yards.
But aside from those three players delivering the goods, they have also become the most expensive quarterback-wide receiver-running back trio in the league in terms of annual average value.
most expensive QB1-WR1-RB1 trios*
1. ARI – $80.4M/yr (Murray, Hopkins, Conner)
2. LV – $74.0M/yr (Carr, Adams, Drake)
3. BUF – $68.5M/yr (Allen, Diggs, Cook)
4. LAR – $68.2M/yr (Stafford, Kupp, Akers)
5. DAL – $66.5M/yr (Prescott, Gallup, Elliott)*per yr average
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 21, 2022
NBC Sports’ Warren Sharp tweeted that Murray, Hopkins, and Conner average $80.4 million annually.
Coming in second is the Las Vegas Raiders trio of Derek Carr, Kenyan Drake, and Davante Adams at $74 million.
The Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and James Cook average $68.5 million annually.
Completing the top five are the Los Angeles Rams trio of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Cam Akers ($68.2 million) and the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, Michael Gallup, and Ezekiel Elliott ($66.5 million).
How The Cardinals’ Trio Became The Most Expensive In The NFL
Murray just got paid after agreeing to a five-year, $230.5 million deal with $160 million in guaranteed money.
His deal also includes a $29 million signing bonus.
Meanwhile, Hopkins is on a two-year, $54 million deal while Conner is on a three-year, $21 million contract.
The Cardinals hope that the expensive price tag will translate to more victories, especially in the playoffs.
When that happens, the franchise will have received great returns for their investment.
Leave a Reply