Pro Football Rumors
Earlier this spring, the Cardinals made the obvious decision of picking up left tackle Paris Johnson Jr.‘s fifth-year option. He is under team control through 2027 as a result, with a scheduled cost of $19.07MM for that year.
Any long-term Johnson extension will cost much more, given the nature of the offensive tackle market. Johnson has previously floated a figure with respect to the average annual value of his second NFL contract. As ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss writes, the former No. 6 pick wants to earn $40MM per year on his extension. Johnson is not presently concerned about his financial future, though.
“It always does, especially in the tackle market,” Johnson said when asked about his confidence in an agreement eventually being worked out. “It happens when it happens and it’s usually right, but I’m not really worried about that right now because it’s not going to help me block anybody in front of me right now, you know what I mean?”
No extension negotiations have been reported in Johnson’s case. His comments certainly suggest the Cardinals are prepared to wait until after the 2026 season before pursuing an agreement, something he added is not a concern. It will be interesting to see where the tackle market stands by the time a long-term deal is discussed. For now, Laremy Tunsil leads the way in terms of AAV ($30.1MM) thanks to his Commanders extension. In terms of younger left tackles, Charles Cross‘ Seahawks deal (averaging $26.1MM per year) is a recent example of a second contract similar to the one Johnson could eventually land.
During his first draft at the helm of the Cardinals, general manager Monti Ossenfort moved down the board before trading back up to select Johnson. The Ohio State product began his career at right tackle but after operating there as a rookie he was expectedly moved to the blindside. Johnson has worked at left tackle for the past two seasons, logging 14 games in 2024 and 12 last season before a PCL sprain landed him on injured reserve.
A lengthy run anchoring Arizona’s offensive line should be expected for Johnson, who will turn 25 next week. The nature of extension talks in his case will make for an interesting storyline, but they are unlikely to begin until the 2027 offseason.
