Cardinals Extend WR Michael Wilson

Wilson has agreed to a three-year extension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport report. The pact is expected to be signed later today. Wilson was set to enter the coming campaign as a pending free agent. Instead, he will now be on the books through 2029. The team has since announced the news.

This deal has a base value of $75MM, per Schefter and Rapoport. Wilson can earn up to $78MM on his second Arizona contract. The pact contains $47MM in guarantees, a substantial raise compared to the roughly $5.5MM value of Wilson’s rookie deal.

An extension has been on the radar of team and player throughout this offseason. Wilson, 26, expressed optimism in May that an agreement would be reached at some point prior to Week 1. He said one month later that negotiations were moving in a positive direction, although all of training camp and the preseason took place without a deal being struck. With time to spare before Week 1, though, Wilson’s future for well beyond 2026 has now been assured.

The former third-rounder has operated as a full-time starter through his first three Cards seasons. Wilson has seen his target share increase year over year, and he set career highs across the board in 2025 (78 catches, 1,008 yards, seven touchdowns). During the closing stages of last season in particular, Wilson was among the league’s most productive wideouts.

Arizona is clearly confident a carryover through 2026 and future years will take place. The team’s passing game become more consistent once Jacoby Brissett took over starting quarterback duties from Kyler Murray (and retained them even after the latter returned to full health). The Brissett-Wilson connection is on track to continue for at least one more season, although the Cardinals’ setup under center past that point is unclear.

The WR market surpassed $42MM annually this offseason. Wilson was never seen as a candidate to approach that figure on any extension, but the Stanford product has also landed short of the group of wideouts whose pacts are in the $30MM range on a per-year basis. At $25MM in average annual value, this deal moves Wilson into a tie with DeVonta Smith for 21st at the position. Considering Smith’s Eagles extension was signed in 2024, this Wilson investment could age well for Arizona.

Marvin Harrison Jr.’s early showings have left room for improvement, but he remains in place as a key figure in the Cardinals’ passing game. The same is true for tight end Trey McBride, who landed a sizable second contract last offseason. Those two, along with Wilson and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, are in line to comprise the bulk of Arizona’s skill-position group for the foreseeable future.

2026 will see Mike LaFleur and a new coaching staff look to rebound from last year’s underwhelming showings. GM  Monti Ossenfort – who took over during the year Wilson was drafted – is still in the fold, though. One of Ossenfort’s first draft picks has now confirmed his status as a key presence on offense for years to come.