Cardinals Deliver Clear Answer on Trey McBride Trade Interest

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Cardinals Deliver Clear Answer on Trey McBride Trade Interest

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andrew Hughes | Last updated Nov 7, 2026 8:50 AM ET

The Arizona Cardinals have been willing to make deals this month, and Trey McBride still isn’t available. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday that the Denver Broncos made an ambitious inquiry about the tight end, and Arizona has no intention of trading him.

Denver has checked on tight ends around the league and moved on once the Cardinals shut it down. The call made sense on more than one level. McBride grew up in Colorado and played his college football at Colorado State in Fort Collins, about an hour north of Empower Field at Mile High, and the Broncos’ search for help at the position has reached as far as Philadelphia.

Why Arizona is keeping McBride

Nov 1, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) catches a pass for 5 yards during the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Arizona already showed it will sell. The Cardinals sent Jacoby Brissett to Baltimore after naming Gardner Minshew their starting quarterback, and that deal was a swap of Day 3 picks. McBride is a different case. Over the Cap shows a trade before the deadline would leave $26.8 million in dead money on Arizona’s books, more than three times his $8.7 million cap hit, and his contract runs through 2029.

McBride leads the NFL with 66 catches, according to his ESPN game log, and he has caught at least seven passes in all eight games. He has turned 66 of his 86 targets into receptions, and Denver saw him at his best in Week 7, when he had 10 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in Glendale despite the Broncos’ 30-16 win.

The 3-5 Cardinals are coming off a 33-30 overtime win in Dallas, and McBride had seven catches for 72 yards and a touchdown in that one. Any team hoping to pry him loose will have to try again in the spring.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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