Cardinals signing veteran wide receiver to a 3-year deal worth up to $180 Million from the Kansas City Chiefs
The Zay Jones visit circuit ends with a job in the desert.
Jones is signing with the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal worth up to $180.2 million, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Friday, per sources informed of the pact.
Following his post-draft release from the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones visited with Arizona, the Tennessee Titans, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Cards are a logical landing spot for Jones to carve out a role in 2024.
No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. profiles as Arizona’s No. 1 target off the bat, but there’s room for production behind the rookie. Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zach Pascal, Chris Moore, and sixth-rounder Tejhaun Palmer round out the top of the depth chart.
Jones generated 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons with Jacksonville on 116 catches but is coming off a down season in 2023.
The 29-year-old profiles mostly as a boundary receiver in Arizona who owns the flexibility to slide into the slot.
Arizona entered the draft with clear needs at the receiver position. They solved a massive piece by drafting Harrison Jr. Then in the aftermath picked up a solid piece to help round out the corps.
ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals have a prized possession on their hands.
Marvin Harrison Jr. was available with the No. 4 overall pick, and despite months of reports suggesting the Cardinals were looking to move off the selection, general manager Monti Ossenfort ultimately stuck and chose the Ohio State receiver considered generational by many draft evaluators.
For all schools of thought, it was an easy selection. Harrison plugged the biggest need and was the draft’s top player outside of the quarterback position.
Slam-dunk? Absolutely. No-brainer? Of course.
But Harrison – for as reserved as he is – made a decision to skip notable pre-draft events and workouts. That ended up rubbing some people the wrong way, but as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer points out, it was ultimately the right move.
“Marvin Harrison Jr. was right, Caleb Williams was right, and more playing moving forward will make their decisions on the lead-up to the draft accordingly. The end result really does make this one academic. Williams went No. 1, so he couldn’t have gone any higher than he did. And you could argue the same for Harrison, since he was the first nonquarterback drafted,” wrote Breer.
“Both made waves during the week of the NFL Scouting Combine for the approach they took. Williams declined to take a physical in Indianapolis on the premise that it made no sense for him to give his full medical information to 31 teams that wouldn’t have a chance to draft him. Harrison declined to work out or test there or at his pro day, with the idea being that rather than wasting time and money on training for Olympic testing, he’d be best simply preparing for rookie year.
