With a new general manager and a new head coach, the Arizona Cardinals are undergoing some massive changes. The Cardinals have recently made another change, releasing one of their top pass-rushers.
Arizona is releasing Markus Golden, via Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The Cardinals will save $2.6 million against the cap by releasing Golden.
Golden spent the first four years of his career with the Cardinals. After a seven game stint with the New York Giants in 2020, Golden returned to Arizona in 2021. As he prepares to leave once again, Golden took some time out thank Arizona's fans.
Thanks for everything BirdGang on to the next! let’s get it!!! #NeverFold
— Markus Golden (@markusgolden) March 10, 2023
Golden is coming off a rough season for the Cardinals. While he appeared in all 17 games this past year, he made just 2.5 sacks. That ties Golden's lowest in a season which he records at least one sack. It's all a huge drop off from the 11 sacks Golden recorded in 2021.
The Cardinals as a whole struggled throughout the 2022 season. Arizona's defense ranked 21st overall, allowing 348.9 yards per game. Their 36 tackles overall tied for seventh-lowest in the NFL.
Following Golden's release, Arizona now has almost $37 million available in cap space – the fifth-highest in the NFL. With so many holes around their roster, the Cardinals will look to use their savings to build out their franchise.
Markus Golden was at one point a dominating force for the Cardinals. However, his magic wore off last season. Arizona will look to start over on defense and find some more offensive firepower off of the edge. Golden will look for his next free agent home.