The Arizona Cardinals announced Wednesday they have released inside linebacker Jordan Hicks.
The team also tendered contracts to exclusive-rights free agents wide receiver Antoine Wesley and running back Jonathan Ward.
Hicks was set for a $9.5 million cap hit in 2022, the final year of his contract, according to Spotrac. The Cardinals save $6.5 million in cap space by letting him go and are set to eat $3 million in dead cap.
Hicks signed a four-year deal with Arizona as a free agent in 2019. He started every game over the past three seasons, including last year even after the Cardinals drafted off-ball linebacker Zaven Collins 16th overall.
Hicks was second on the team in total tackles with 116 and was tied for third in sacks with four.
He was told last offseason that he would not be able to start in 2021 due to Collins' arrival. He still showed up to training camp and proved too valuable not to start.
His handling of the situation received high praise from head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
After the season, Hicks said his future with the franchise was unknown.
The Cardinals have made cuts and then brought back players on cheaper deals. That's what they did with cornerback Robert Alford last offseason.
But, the way the Hicks and Collins situation was handled paired with the potential for Collins' role to grow in Year 2 creates a murky outlook for the veteran in Arizona.
General manager Steve Keim said at the NFL Scouting Combine that he expects Collins to have a big role in 2022, although that's what he said last year.
"Jordan Hicks did a great job this year, especially under the circumstances he was in," Keim said. "I know it came out that it was my decision when to set the table straight, when we made that decision on draft day, we made it with the defensive staff. So Jordan was a guy that knew the defense inside and out. And obviously, we benefited from that because of the complexity of some of the things that we were doing.
"But moving forward, there's no doubt that we have to get those young kids involved more."
The move signals that it is time for the duo to Collins and Isaiah Simmons to take the reins.
Wesley and Ward
The Cardinals tendered one-year contracts to Wesley and Ward at the minimum salary. They are not permitted to negotiate with other teams.
Wesley played for Kingsbury at Texas Tech and made the team after impressing during training camp.
He became a bigger contributor down the stretch as DeAndre Hopkins missed most of the second half of the season.
Wesley, a 6-foot-4 target capable of making plays in the air, caught 19 passes including three touchdowns and nine first downs.
Ward's contributions were mainly on special teams last year, his second on the Cardinals. The 2020 undrafted free agent signee had nine rushes for 33 yards in 2021. He missed four games after suffering a concussion in Week 8 and spending time on the COVID-19 list.
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