The Arizona Cardinals just finished up a disappointing 7-8-1 2016 season. It’s a major drop off from where the team was expected to be heading following a 2015 season that saw it earn a trip to the NFC Championship game.
While a lot went wrong for the Cardinals, the acquisition of Chandler Jones paid major dividends. The Pro Bowler recorded 11 sacks in his first season in the desert after being dealt from the New England Patriots during the spring.
This was apparently enough for the Cardinals to decide that Jones won’t be allowed to test the open market.
Bruce Arians said if Cardinals can't get long-term deal done with Chandler Jones, Arizona will use its franchise tag on him.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 2, 2017
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given that Arizona dealt a second-round pick to New England for Jones back in March. That’s a huge capital to pay on the NFL trade market. For his part, Jones passed his first test with the Cardinals with flying colors.