Cardinals Make Massive Paris Johnson Jr. Decision

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals march into the final moments of the offseason with a big question already solved.

The Cardinals are picking up the fifth-year option on left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo.

"The #AZCardinals have picked up the fifth-year option on LT Paris Johnson Jr., source says. That’s just over $19 million for the 2027 season for the 2023 sixth-overall pick with more surely coming eventually via a new deal at some point," he wrote on X.

This was an expected decision, as Johnson has emerged as a cornerstone piece of Arizona's offensive line and will surely receive a massive contract extension at some point in the future like Garafolo suggests.

Arizona initially moved down from the No. 3 pick in 2023 to 12th before jumping to No. 6 to take Johnson. With D.J. Humphries already in store at left tackle, Johnson started at right tackle in Arizona while making the switch to the left side in 2024, where he's steadied the ship for the last two seasons.

As a first-round pick, Johnson's contract was a standard four-year deal with a fifth-year option that could be exercised by the team. If the Cardinals declined the option, Johnson would have been a free agent after the 2026 season.

The fifth-year options and their respective salaries are different depending on factors such as position, amount of Pro Bowls and playing time among others. Johnson's tag is $19.1 million which is now fully guaranteed for the 2027 season.

There's hope the Cardinals will be able to reach a long-term deal with Johnson, who has a market value of $22 million annually according to Spotrac.

Yet in a league that always sees top players reset markets for their various position groups, it will be interesting to see what dollar amount Johnson's able to secure in the future.

Johnson previously (and perhaps jokingly) suggested hitting $40 million per season, and while Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort wouldn't directly say what figure they're keeping in mind financially, he had nothing short of great things to say on Johnson when speaking at the combine earlier this offseason.

"So that's the great thing about Paris is I know he's focused on that and I know he's focused on ascending and continuing to ascend. We've got some decision points coming up with Paris here, in terms of the fifth-year option," he said.

"We'll be ready to make that decision here. We've got til May to do that. But love what Paris brings to our team, on the field, off the field and want him to be a part of our program for a long time."

The first box of keeping Johnson under contract through 2027 is checked. Now? long-term negotiations can begin.