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What About Antonio Hamilton?

NFL: Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday on Twitter, Kyle Odegard posted this eye-opening prediction about Cardinals’ UFA CB Byron Murphy:

Murphy Highlights:

If Byron Murphy cashes in on a $16+M a year deal, then he would be this year’s version of Christian Kirk —- a Cardinals’ 2nd round pick —- whom another team believed had the talent to flourish in their system.

Unlike Christian Kirk, however, Byron Murphy is coming off a painful back injury for which he missed the Cardinals’ final 8 games.

For the first 9 games, Byron Murphy was having his best season in Arizona, having been taken out of the slot where he had been struggling and showing a knack for playing boundary corner.

What about Ham?

However, when one looks at the defensive statistics and PFF grades for the Cardinals’ 2022 season, you might be surprised.

  • Games: Hamilton 10 —- Murphy: 9
  • PFF Grade Overall: Hamilton 68.5 —- Murphy 66.7
  • PFF Run Defense: Hamilton 59.7 —- Murphy 73.6
  • PFF Tackling Grade: Hamilton 59.4 —- Murphy 56.8
  • PFF Coverage Grade: Hamilton 69.4 —- Murphy 63.9
  • Tackles: Hamilton 37 —- Murphy 33
  • Stops: Hamilton 12 —- Murphy 9
  • Passing Yards Given Up: Hamilton 300 —- Murphy 350
  • TDs Given Up: Hamilton 2 —- Murphy 4
  • Interceptions: Hamilton 1 —- Murphy 0
  • Pass breakups: Hamilton 3 —- Murphy 5
  • Completion % Given Up: Hamilton 72.5% —- Murphy 64.3 %
  • Yards Per Catch Given Up: Hamilton 10.3 —- Murphy 9.7
  • QB Rating On Passes Their Way: Hamilton 100.0 —- Murphy 105.5

Conclusion:

Byron Murphy at 25 years old is just hitting his prime and was the #33 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. When healthy, Byron Murphy brings ample talent to his position as a boundary corner.

However, it’s worth noting that Antonio Hamilton at 30 had as productive a season in 2022 as Byron Murphy —- yet, Murphy’s market value is now being projected to be $16+M a year. While, Hamilton’s, for a year or two, would likely be in the vicinity of $1.5M a year.

Kudos to ROTB Members:

You voted 55% (304 votes) in favor of the Cardinals re-signing Antonio Hamilton.

My Hope:

But, man, $16+M a year to keep Byron Murphy seems unfathomable at this point, doesn’t it?

PFF Salary Projections:

  • #5 —-Jamel Dean (26, TB —- 77.9): 4 yrs — $17m avg/yr, $45m guaranteed, $68m total
  • #15 —-James Bradberry (29, PHI —- 71.7, 2022 2nd Team All Pro): 2 yrs — $12M avg/yr, $16.5M guaranteed, $24M total
  • #23 Cameron Sutton (28, PIT —- 68.1): 3 yrs — $8.5m avg/yr, $15.5m guaranteed, $25.5m total
  • #33 Jonathan Jones (29, NE —- 68.1): 2 yrs — $5.5m avg/yr, $7m guaranteed, $11m total
  • #45 Byron Murphy (25, ARI —- 66.7): 3 yrs — $12m avg/yr, $21.75m guaranteed, $36m total

ROTB Polls:

Poll

Would you sign Byron Murphy to a $16M a year deal?

  • 11%
    Yes
    (34 votes)
  • 88%
    No
    (258 votes)
292 votes total Vote Now

If these contract projections are accurate, which of these UFA CBs would you prefer?

Poll

Which UFA CB would you sign?

  • 5%
    J. Dean, 26, $17M/per
    (15 votes)
  • 33%
    J. Bradberry, 29, $12M/per
    (96 votes)
  • 19%
    C. Sutton, 28, $8.5M/per
    (55 votes)
  • 18%
    J. Jones, 29, $5.5M/per
    (52 votes)
  • 22%
    B. Murphy, 25, $12M/per
    (65 votes)
283 votes total Vote Now

What were your votes? What plan would you like to see from MOJO for adding talent at cornerback?