Arizona Cardinals, Michael Wilson agree to 3-year, $75 million extension through 2029

The Arizona Cardinals have closed one of their last preseason business items. On Thursday, the team and wide receiver Michael Wilson agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract extension that keeps the 26-year-old in Arizona through the 2029 season.

The deal includes $47 million guaranteed and a maximum value of $78 million. Wilson still had one year left on his rookie contract. That season is now part of a longer stay, and Arizona’s young offense has another starter locked in past the next few years.

Talks stalled, then moved fast

The agreement did not come out of nowhere, and it was not easy. Arizona Cardinals made several offers over the past few months. Those talks slowed, then picked up again on Wednesday. By Thursday, the two sides had a deal. Wilson’s agent, Andrew Kessler of Athletes First, handled the negotiations.

General manager Monti Ossenfort had not sounded certain in early August. Asked at his training camp news conference whether fans should expect an extension, he chose his words with care.

“He’s a guy that we want around here a long time,” Ossenfort said at the time. “There’s no question about it. So, I mean, expect, that’s a tough word.”

A slow start, then a 1,000-yard finish

That 1,000-yard line is why this deal exists. Michael Wilson’s 2025 season started poorly. He had just 52 receiving yards through five games. Then the offense found him. He finished with 78 catches for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns, his first 1,000-yard year in the NFL. A large share of that production came in the second half, including 775 yards over the final eight games, as he became the clear go-to target while Marvin Harrison Jr missed time.

A third-round pick out of Stanford in 2023 (No. 94 overall), Wilson is now the third wide receiver from that draft class, joining Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Baltimore’s Zay Flowers, to post a 1,000-yard season and sign an extension.

What Arizona Cardinals get

The Arizona Cardinals already paid tight end Trey McBride. Harrison remains the high-upside piece on the other side. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love is in the mix. Wilson’s extension means the pass-catching group around new head coach Mike LaFleur is not a one-year rental. The average annual value sits near $25 million, a raise that matches what a late-blooming outside receiver can command after a first 1,000-yard season, without resetting the market.

For Wilson, the wait is over. For Arizona, one of its most reliable perimeter threats no longer walks into Week 1 as a pending free agent.