The Arizona Cardinals were one of the teams who make a big move during the 2022 NFL Draft. On the very first day the Cardinals traded out of the first round in exchange for wide receiver Marquise Brown. The Baltimore Ravens offloaded Brown and their commitment to pay him a long term contract. One analyst labeled this move as their “big regret” of the off-season.
Was it a mistake to trade a first round pick for Brown?
The Arizona Cardinals clearly didn’t want to overpay wideout Christian Kirk. Kirk landed a four-year $72 million deal from the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. His departure left a sizable void in their offense, which got exacerbated by DeAndre Hopkins’ six game suspension. Hopkins will miss nearly half of the 2022 season for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy.
Brown is lightning quick, but he is inconsistent and often unreliable. He had a passer rating of only 87.9 when targeted in 2021.
In Arizona Brown will be reunited with his Oklahoma quarterback,, Kyler Murray. This may help production some. However, he is a nice complimentary piece, not a No. 1 wideout.
In short term, Brown will be cheaper than Kirk, as he has two years left on his rookie contract. However, Arizona will eventually have to pay Brown, and he’ll likely cost much more than Kirk given the rising cost of wide receivers.
The Cardinals gave up a a lot for a receiver who has proven little. They should have kept Kirk Insteade.
Kirktopher Knox
Does the author make a good point?
The biggest advantage that Marquise Brown and Kyler Murray will have is being former teammates. Does that make them a better duo that Murray and Christian Kirk? That is remained to be seen but the odds are stacked against them. Christian Kirk is a dominant wide receiver in this league.
The other aspect to consider is that the Cardinals will likely have to pay more for Brown next year or the year after than they would have paid Kirk this year. The wide receiver market is exploding and two years from now it could be double what it is now. Especially with the salary cap expected to explode over the next few years. The Cardinals will have their opportunities to prove everyone wrong, but right now their off-season moves have come under much scrutiny.
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