Arizona Cardinals sign second-round pick, CB Will Johnson, to rookie contract
✅ First day of training camp✅ Signs rookie contract pic.twitter.com/J35a6R7ybK
The Arizona Cardinals now have their entire 2025 draft class under contract. The one remaining unsigned player was cornerback Will Johnson, their second-round pick.
That is no longer the case. The team announced Tuesday that Johnson signed his four-year rookie contract.
Johnson was selected 47th overall out of Michigan. He was originally projected to be a first-round pick, some projecting him to go as high as the top 10. However, due to injury concerns, especially with some long-term concerns about a knee he had surgically repaired three years ago, led to him falling to the second round.
The second-round picks in this year's draft took the longest to sign. While first-round picks get fully guaranteed contracts, players selected in Round 2 can negotiate how much of their contract is guaranteed.
This year, for the first time, some players in the second round got fully guaranteed contracts.
We will see how many years of his salary ended up being guaranteed when the terms are released.
The Cardinals report for training camp on Tuesday, so Johnson is signed and set to compete for a starting job.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
a minute ago
- NBC Sports
Bill Belichick: North Carolina is a pro program, we have an NFL approach in college
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick says he's coaching his college football team like he coached in the NFL. Asked at the ACC media day if he's trying to introduce NFL-level schemes and concepts to college football, Belichick answered, 'That's exactly what we're trying to do. That's my philosophy.' Belichick said he views the Tar Heels like a pro team that just needs some minor adjustments for younger players. 'It's a pro program,' Belichick said. 'Practice, training, food, schemes, terminology, it's all a pro program. Not to the extent that we did it in the NFL — there will be fewer plays, fewer adjustments — but it will be along those lines.' Belichick said to the extent that he'll coach differently, it's largely about the differences between NCAA rules, such as college football's wider hashmarks and the overtime format that takes place mostly in the red zone. 'There's some things I don't think we'll need at this level and other things that we are,' Belichick said. 'Based on hashmarks and things like that that are difference, the overtime system — the red area could potentially come up a lot more than in the NFL on a percentage basis. Things like that that you just have to take into consideration. But fundamentally, we're going to do as much as we can as a pro system.'
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Padres come into matchup against the Cardinals on losing streak
San Diego Padres (55-48, second in the NL West) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (53-51, fourth in the NL Central) St. Louis; Friday, 7:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Nick Pivetta (10-2, 2.81 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 127 strikeouts); Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (5-7, 5.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 69 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Padres -140, Cardinals +117; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres look to end their three-game losing streak with a win against the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis has a 53-51 record overall and a 30-20 record in home games. The Cardinals have a 24-6 record in games when they hit at least two home runs. San Diego has a 55-48 record overall and a 24-30 record on the road. The Padres have a 30-9 record in games when they did not give up a home run. The teams meet Friday for the second time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Alec Burleson has 18 doubles, 12 home runs and 44 RBIs for the Cardinals. Willson Contreras is 13 for 40 with six doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games. Manny Machado has 24 doubles, 19 home runs and 63 RBIs for the Padres. Jackson Merrill is 9 for 35 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 3-7, .269 batting average, 5.82 ERA, outscored by 20 runs Padres: 5-5, .254 batting average, 3.14 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs INJURIES: Cardinals: Nolan Gorman: 10-Day IL (back), Lars Nootbaar: 10-Day IL (ribs), Zack Thompson: 60-Day IL (lat) Padres: Michael King: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jhony Brito: 60-Day IL (forearm), Joe Musgrove: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lions look to legend ahead of crunch Wallabies clash
While Martin Johnson's 2001 British and Irish Lions series in Australia ultimately fell short, the England great has been called upon to inspire the current troops as they look to wrap up the series in Melbourne. The two-time Lions captain left Australia empty-handed after losing the Tom Richards Cup in a game-three decider - although he got sweet revenge two years later when he led England to World Cup victory in the final against the Wallabies in Sydney. The star lock also tasted success with the Lions, leading the four-nations outfit to a series victory against South Africa in 1997. Ahead of Saturday's match at the MCG, where the tourists can take an unbeatable 2-0 lead after a first Test win in Brisbane, Johnson addressed the Lions and presented them with their jerseys. Coach Andy Farrell drafted the former England skipper in as surprise guest speaker at a special ceremony before a team dinner. "Martin speaks nice and calmly. It was a privilege to have him there," scrum coach John Fogarty said on Friday after their final training run at the MCG. "He talked a bit about the Lions series they won and the Lions series they lost and the difference in both. "The room was completely quiet for the whole time he spoke. There were guys just staring up at him. Maro (captain Maro Itoje) asked him a question or two and then he handed out the jerseys. "There was a bit of contemplation and reflection after he talked, which is a good thing. It was a quiet room because they wanted to listen to a guy they see as an icon." While the Lions will start huge favourites, Australia have been bolstered by the return of heavyweight forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini, who missed game one through injury. With a crowd of more than 90,000 expected, Johnson told the troops to embrace the moment but not let their emotions control their actions. "Martin said it is the smallest of margins in the biggest of games. He talked about being able to get back to neutral and about being in the moment," Fogarty said. "All that stuff is difficult when you're playing in front of 95,000 people in a stadium as iconic as the MCG. "When you're under pressure or applying pressure your emotions can go up and down, so being able to get back to neutral or find a way to get clarity back in your mind in the shortest of times is difficult for players. "That's really important for us in this game. We are not going to get everything our own way and we know it's going to be a game of small margins, so it was good advice."
