Longtime NFL veteran pass rusher Markus Golden signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Golden spent the 2020 season with Arizona Cardinals.
#AZCardinals pass-rusher Markus Golden is staying in Arizona, source say, agreeing to terms on a 2-year deal that pays him $9M. After leaving AZ, heading to the #Giants, then getting traded back, the 30-year-old Golden elects to stay and call Arizona home.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2021
Markus Golden, Arizona Cardinals, Agree to Contract
Contributing 4.5 sacks, along with a forced fumble and an interception, Markus Golden helped to fill a hole for the Arizona Cardinals in 2020, after the loss of Chandler Jones. In tandem with Haason Reddick, the former Missouri Tiger provided pass rush help in Jones’ absence. His strip-sack of former teammate Daniel Jones was a highlight in a fairly consistent year, in which he also recorded his first career interception, picking off Cam Newton. However, Golden’s efforts were not enough to see the Cardinals make the 2020 post-season.
Golden returned to Arizona by way of trade in October from the New York Giants. Only a day earlier had Golden recorded his first sack of the season. However, it proved to be his last in New York. Golden spent just over a season with the Giants, having signed a one year deal in 2019. He remained with the team through 2020 after signing the unrestricted free agent tender they placed on him. His brief tenure in New York saw him record 10.0 sacks in 2019. This was the most by a Giants linebacker in a single season since Lawrence Taylor in 1990.
Prior to his time in New York, Golden spent his early NFL career out in the desert with Arizona. A three-year starter for the Cardinals, Golden played weakside linebacker opposite Chandler Jones. His last year in his first stint with the Cardinals in 2018 saw him finish with only two sacks. This came on the back of a 2017 season derailed by an torn ACL suffered in Week 5. This stalled a promising rise for Golden, who in 2016 finished 3rd in the NFL for sacks with 12.5. Leading the Cardinals, he and Chandler Jones became the first Cardinals pair with double-digit sacks in the same season since 1984. The previous year, his rookie year, after being drafted in the second round in 2015, Golden featured in the Cardinals team that made it to the NFC Championship game.
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