Why Cardinals Shouldn't Cut Starting Safety

The Arizona Cardinals enter a pivotal offseason following an overall successful 2024 season. Tough decisions will be made for who stays and who goes, and the centerfold of that conversation seems to revolve around safety Jalen Thompson.

The team’s 8-9 finish has some stains on it considering the Cardinals lost five of their last seven games. Prior to that, the Cardinals were in control of their own destiny for a potential playoff spot and division title.

It left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth and changes must be made to help the team move forward.

Arizona possesses north of $72 million in cap space to add players to the roster and help them compete more in 2025. The team can add some extra cash by making a few cuts on the roster, including the aforementioned Thompson.

Cutting Thompson would save Arizona ~$6.5million against the cap as a pre-June 1st cut.

Thompson also holds the third largest cap hit on the team with ~$13.7million, only behind Kyler Murray and Jonah Williams.

OverTheCap recently highlighted Thompson as a potential cut candidate - which has spurred some conversation surrounding his status moving into 2025.

Recouping that cash would be nice for Arizona, but is it worth it?

In my opinion, the answer is a firm no.

Thompson has long been a more-than-quality starting safety for the Cardinals and one of the most underrated players at his position since entering the league. Although Thompson is coming off a down year in which he failed to record and interception, he still made 98 tackles and scooped up two fumbles.

After a career-high four interception season in 2023, it definitely felt like a step down.

And it’s unfortunate that’s the current perception of the six-year player. The reality is Thompson is a good starting safety and compliments the defense and fellow safety Budda Baker quite well.

There’s also the concept of having three good safeties on defense. In addition to Thompson and Baker is second-year man Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, otherwise known as “Rabbit.” The Texas Tech product showed flashes in relief for Thompson, racking up 37 tackles and forcing a fumble.

The excitement and potential are certainly there for Taylor-Demerson, but is he ready to be a full-time starter and replace Thompson?

I don’t think so yet, but there’s a real advantage to having three safeties that few NFL teams benefit from. The combo of these three gives the Cardinals an advantage in the secondary with three guys who can play several roles defensively. It’s a distinct upper hand that could help them take another step forward in 2025.

And in an NFC conference loaded with offensive weapons, keeping good players around on defense is a must.

Finally, Arizona is not hurting for cap space. This move would be much different if the Cardinals were strapped against the cap, but they can easily afford him. I would be a fan of extending Thompson to reduce his cap before I would cut him.

But the bottom line is that this certainly feels like a forced move. Thompson will turn 27-years-old in July, making him a young and talented player to continue being a part of a growing defense. There’s no reason to make the move unless you value the cap space that much and plan to spend it heavily this offseason.