The Cardinals’ roster shuffle on November 10 brought a pair of tough injury blows and a few immediate fixes.
Arizona placed quarterback Gardner Minshew and wide receiver Michael Wilson on injured reserve, with both players dealing with injuries that could end their seasons. Minshew is out with an elbow injury, while Wilson’s issue is a neck injury.
To help cover the losses, the Cardinals signed quarterbacks Josh Johnson and Joey Aguilar, pulling each from another team’s practice squad. Johnson came over from the Bengals’ practice squad, while Aguilar arrived from the Jaguars’ practice squad. Arizona also added veteran wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to its practice squad.
Minshew, 30, has had a winding NFL path since entering the league as a sixth-round pick of the Jaguars out of Washington State in 2019. He signed a four-year rookie deal worth $2.7 million and made a base salary of $2,540,000 for the 2021 season. Jacksonville later traded him to the Eagles after the preseason in 2021 for a sixth-round pick.
After that, Minshew spent the 2023 season with the Colts, then signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Raiders in March of last year as he competed for their starting job. The Raiders released him in March, and he later joined the Chiefs before landing with Arizona on a one-year deal for the 2026 season.
Before the injury, Minshew had played in two games for the Cardinals this year, completing 71.7 percent of his passes for 354 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Wilson, 26, was a third-round pick by Arizona at No. 94 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was in the final year of his four-year, $5,339,462 rookie contract, which included an $883,244 signing bonus, and was scheduled to make a base salary of $3.924 million in 2026 after qualifying for the PPE.
He and the Cardinals agreed to a three-year, $75 million extension before the start of the 2026 season, a deal that would have kept him from reaching unrestricted free agency in 2027.
Through nine games in 2026, Wilson had 51 catches on 88 targets for 546 yards and two touchdowns.
In Other News...
Seahawks Just Added A Big Name To Fix Their Run Game
The trade market has become one of the more active parts of the NFL calendar in 2024, and Jacksonville has already been part of the movement. The Jaguars have added defensive help through deals for Jordan Davis, Jessie Bates III and Davon Godchaux, a clear sign that the front office has not been shy about trying to patch holes while the season is still in motion.
Around the league, the pace has only picked up as the deadline approaches, with 13 in-season trades already completed. Baltimore brought in Jacoby Brissett, Chicago landed Jeffery Simmons and Seattle addressed its own issues by getting guard Quenton Nelson, another reminder that teams are willing to pay for immediate help when they think a roster can still be pushed forward. For Jacksonville, the bigger question is whether its own early moves are enough, or whether the Jaguars will keep working the phones before the market closes. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Pass Rush Search May Not Be Over After Mondays Moves
The Jaguars spent Monday reshaping their roster with three trades, but their work on the pass rush may not be finished. Before those moves, Jacksonville reportedly made a significant offer for Jets defensive end Will McDonald IV, a sign the front office was still looking for another edge presence even as it addressed other needs elsewhere.
McDonald has been open about wanting a change of scenery after seeing reduced playing time, but New York has so far held firm. The Jets still believe in the former first-round picks talent and development, and with McDonald under contract through 2026 plus a fifth-year option for 2027, any pursuit would likely have to become more serious before this one moves any closer to the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Just Made A Jordan Davis Move Fans Need To Unpack
With the trade deadline approaching, the Jaguars have been busy trying to patch up a defense that has been hit by injuries and needed more help in both the secondary and the front seven. In a flurry of moves, Jacksonville added Jordan Davis, Davon Godchaux and Jessie Bates, sending draft picks to the Eagles, Saints and Falcons as part of a clear push to get sturdier on that side of the ball.
For a team trying to stay in the mix, the appeal is obvious: Davis brings size up front, Godchaux adds another body to the interior and Bates gives the back end a proven presence. The cost in picks shows how aggressively Jacksonville is treating this stretch of the season, and it also leaves the bigger question of how quickly all three can settle in and make the defense look more complete. [Read more 🡒]