Kenyan Drake Signs Cardinals Transition Tag Contract, Will Earn $8.5M in 2020

Running back Kenyan Drake signed his transition tag tender with the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, according to the SportsTrust Advisors agency that represents him.

Per Spotrac, Drake will earn $8.483 million in 2020.

Drake is coming off a brilliant second half of the 2019 season after a trade from the Miami Dolphins. In eight games with the Cardinals, the 6'1", 211-pound back totaled 643 rushing yards, 171 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He had 363 rushing yards and seven scores in the final three weeks alone.

It was enough to supplant both David Johnson and Chase Edmonds on the depth chart, with the Cardinals eventually trading Johnson to the Houston Texans in a deal that landed DeAndre Hopkins.

Drake has shown he could be worth the price despite seeing limited touches throughout his career. He's averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry each season and has over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two years despite inconsistent playing time.

The 5.2 yards per carry in Arizona last year would have been third-best in the NFL among running backs across a full season.

Adding in his relatively fresh legs with just 456 career carries, the 26-year-old has a bright future ahead of him.

With Johnson no longer in the fold, Drake will be the Cardinals' unquestioned top back in 2020, and it could lead to him landing a lucrative, multiyear contract next offseason.

With quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receivers Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk around him, Drake should be poised for a career year statistically next season.