Center Rodney Hudson returning to Cardinals for training camp, 2022 season
One of the most surprising developments of NFL springtime workouts involved Arizona Cardinals center Rodney Hudson unexpectedly failing to report for June mandatory minicamp sessions.
Hudson's absence from the team was unexcused, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted that head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters at the time that the club and Hudson were "working through an issue." It appears that the issue is resolved, because NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Nick Shook) reported Monday that Hudson has informed the club he will be among veteran players who report for the start of training camp on July 26.
Hudson also intends to play through at least the 2022 season, and the Cardinals seemed to confirm the news to fans on Monday afternoon:
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Hudson's current contract runs through the 2023 campaign. Per Shook and Florio, the 33-year-old has $6.1 million in guaranteed money attached to his deal for the upcoming season and is set to earn $10.85 million in salary.
It's unknown if Hudson's previous absence was related to a contract dispute, but Florio suggested that the veteran may decline to practice during the early days of training camp until the two sides come to an agreement regarding his pay if he is, in fact, unhappy about his deal.
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