<
        >

          Agents: Cardinals reach 4-year, $76M extension with Trey McBride

          play
          Tannenbaum praises Cardinals for Trey McBride extension (1:14)

          Mike Tannenbaum and Mina Kimes weigh in on the Cardinals' move to lock up Trey McBride to a long-term deal. (1:14)

          • Josh WeinfussApr 3, 2025, 04:41 PM ET
            Close
              Josh Weinfuss is a staff writer who covers the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL at ESPN. Josh has covered the Cardinals since 2012, joining ESPN in 2013. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a graduate of Indiana University.
            Follow on X

          TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Cardinals made Trey McBride the highest-paid tight end in NFL history Thursday.

          McBride agreed to a four-year extension worth $76 million, with $43 million guaranteed, agents Mike Swenson, CJ LaBoy and Doug Hendrickson told ESPN's Adam Schefter. McBride's annual average of $19 million in the deal is the highest for an NFL tight end.

          The Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce previously held the highest average per year for a tight end at $17.125 million, per the Roster Management System.

          McBride, who's coming off his first Pro Bowl season, will now be under contract with Arizona through the 2029 season. The Cardinals announced McBride's four-year extension but did not disclose financial terms.

          McBride's extension received the seal of approval from Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who posted to X that his teammate was "worth every penny!"

          "Going to be special," McBride replied to Murray.

          McBride, 25, completed his third season in 2024, making him eligible for an extension. Drafted in the second round in 2022, he has the fourth-most receptions (221) and yards (2,236) among tight ends since then. The three players ahead of McBride in receptions during that time span are Kelce (300), the Denver Broncos' Evan Engram (234) and the Minnesota Vikings' T.J. Hockenson (222).

          And the three who are ahead of McBride in reception yards since 2022 happen to be the three tight ends who were the highest paid in the NFL by annual average value: Kelce (3,145), the San Francisco 49ers' George Kittle (2,891) and Hockenson (2,329).

          McBride's 221 career receptions is the most by a tight end in his first three seasons in NFL history. Kittle previously held the record with 216 catches from 2017 to 2019.

          McBride finished last season first in the league among tight ends in targets per route run (30.0%), team target share (29.6%) and receiving first downs (63); second in receiving yards (1,146), receptions (111), targets (148) and receiving yards per game (71.6); and third in routes (494) and yards after catch (513).

          His 111 receptions was the second most in a season for any pass catcher in Cardinals franchise history, behind receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had 115 in 2020.

          McBride was also the Cardinals' first tight end to make a Pro Bowl since Hall of Famer Jackie Smith in 1970.