By playing in the division that produced the NFC’s entrant into this year’s Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals had to traverse through a muddy NFC West division to a playoff berth this season. While ultimately falling short in the first round, their first-round exit spoke to the progress this franchise has made with Kliff Kingsbury at the helm, leading the likes of Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins.

But this newfound success is a bit later in the process than Arizona had hoped for, as their team has been flush with talent for the past few seasons. With Murray finally having established a chemistry with Hopkins, it was unfortunate to see that relationship fizzle out with both Hopkins and Murray missing extensive time due to injury, throwing the focus of this offense off a bit.

The 2022 offseason will be a crucial one for the Cardinals, seeing as how their competitive window is wide open, even in their daunting division – but there may be one well-known player that is not a part of the attempt at turning in back-to-back postseason appearances.

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Surprising Cardinals Roster Cut in 2022 Offseason

Jordan Hicks

The inside linebacker was signed to a big-money, four-year deal during the 2019 free agency period by the Cardinals, in hopes he would be able to rectify a long-struggling defensive unit. While Jordan Hicks has held up his end of the bargain the best he could (6.5 cumulative sacks, 3 cumulative FFs, 4 cumulative INTs, and 117+ tackles each season) across his three years, Arizona has decided to go away from him via their early-round draft capital.

Both Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins play linebacker, and both have been the recipients of AZ’s last two first-round selections, pushing Hicks further down the pecking order. While playing alongside Simmons has helped Hicks continue to thrive, Collins seemingly was brought in as Hicks’ replacement, even though his playing time in his rookie campaign failed to show that.

After having drafted Collins and being told he cannot compete for the starting role, Hicks (rightfully) asked to be traded, and while GM Steve Keim searched for respectable value in return, no package was enough, hence why Hicks remains on the Cardinals. He continued his strong play in the ‘21-22 season, racking up a career-high five sacks and playing his second-highest snap count percentage (97.3) in his career.

Hicks’ contract provides the team with a realistic chance to get out if they so choose, as he would only cost $3 million in dead cap space if cut this offseason. He does have a roster bonus of $750,000 due in March ‘22 that the team will be on the hook for, but this is the cheapest time for the team to move on from him if they feel that Collins and Simmons are both ready to lead their LB core.

The impact that Hicks has had on this defense has been huge, and it is a shame that he is (likely) being pushed out of a place he has accomplished a lot at. But the game of football is a business, and saving money is the name of the game – Hicks would likely be able to land on his feet elsewhere, even if not at the same pay rate as what he would be earning with the Cardinals.