ARIZONA -- As the Arizona Cardinals prepare for training camp in roughly two weeks, the organization is mostly done adding moves to their roster barring unexpected developments.
The Cardinals have a number of players on the bubble of the roster entering training camp, and though starting safety Jalen Thompson certainly isn't one of them - he's in a contract year with Arizona.
The Athletic's Doug Haller highlighted Thompson as the player to watch in Arizona when it comes to contracts:
"GM Monti Ossenfort in April signed Trey McBride to a four-year, $76 million extension that briefly made McBride the NFL’s highest-paid tight end. Over the last couple of years, Ossenfort and the Cardinals also have extended safety Budda Baker, running back James Conner, linebacker/edge Zaven Collins and others. Time is running out on Thompson," wrote Haller.
"The veteran safety, who turns 27 this month, approaches the final year of his contract (which has a void year in 2026). Thompson has been a key defensive piece over six seasons in the desert. Not elite, but productive and reliable. He finished third on last season’s team in tackles. Arizona seems to be grooming Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, a 2024 fourth-round pick, as Thompson’s replacement but his readiness remains in question."
Thompson could be considered one of the more underrated players in the league, though his cost and emergence of Taylor-Demerson behind him makes him an understandable candidate to walk after this season.
There were some murmurs of Thompson being a cap-cut candidate this offseason, though those thoughts never truly made sense for the Cardinals.
While Taylor-Demerson has massively impressed the coaching staff, Arizona utilizes three safety looks often under defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. Thompson's presence is still very much needed in the desert this season, especially with how the Cardinals are gearing up for a postseason push in 2025.
“This is going to be a defensive-lead team,” Thompson said on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke earlier in the offseason “We were in a lot of games last year with the defense, and we could have won more games if we had a little more. This year should be a little different.
“We have some new guys on the defensive line, and in the DBs room that are all ready to go. They’re intentional, they come to practice, they’re consistent. I think that should be really good for us.”