Trey McBride, Cardinals Agree to $76M Contract as Highest-Paid TE in NFL History

The Arizona Cardinals are resetting the market to keep tight end Trey McBride around.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the sides agreed to a four-year, $76 million extension with $43 million guaranteed. McBride's $19 million average salary is the highest ever for a tight end.

McBride and teammate Kyler Murray both reacted to the news:

McBride was one of Arizona's few bright spots in 2023, a year that was effectively over before it began as Murray's recovery from a torn ACL forced him to miss the first nine weeks. The 6'4" pass-catcher had 81 receptions for 825 yards and three touchdowns.

With Murray fully healthy from the jump last season, McBride's production got a corresponding boost. He hauled in a career-high 111 passes for 1,146 yards and two touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl nod.

This is an aggressive play for a tight end with only three years of NFL experience, but McBride was headed for free agency in 2026. His value next offseason would've climbed higher if he repeats the success he enjoyed this past fall.

The San Francisco 49ers' George Kittle, Baltimore Ravens' Mark Andrews and Philadelphia Eagles' Dallas Goedert are all entering the last year of their contracts. The Atlanta Falcons' Kyle Pitts will see his rookie deal expire as well.

Kittle in particular stands to cash out, and the other three could all sign multiyear pacts that may raise the general price for proven tight ends.

For Arizona, McBride's salary may come to look like better and better value.

For the player and his agent, the four-year term works out nicely.

The Las Vegas Raiders have All-Pro Brock Bowers under team control through 2028. It's safe to assume he'll blow well past $19 million annually on his next deal if his rookie year is a taste of what's to come.

That means McBride will be eligible for free agency again at a time when the elite at his position might be earning $20-plus million per season.