Paris Johnson Jr. and the Cardinals face the next pricing point for elite left tackles

The Cardinals made a key, routine move earlier this spring by picking up left tackle Paris Johnson Jr.’s fifth-year option, a decision that keeps him in Arizona’s plans while also raising the stakes for any eventual extension. According to Pro Football Rumors, Johnson is scheduled to cost $19.07MM in 2027 under that option structure, keeping the team’s top-end blindside protection in-house for at least the next two seasons beyond 2025.

The immediate practical impact is straightforward: Arizona maintains control of a player it views as foundational on the offensive line. The more complicated part comes later, when the conversation shifts from an option year under the existing rookie contract framework to a long-term tackle extension that would align with how the market values protectors at Johnson’s tier.

Pro Football Rumors reports that Johnson’s longer-term goal is to reset the tackle market when he signs his next deal. The report frames his ask as a benchmark of $40MM per year, an expectation that, if it were to become reality, would place Johnson in the same general financial neighborhood as the highest-paid left tackles in the league. That is not simply a vanity number. It reflects a position group that has increasingly been treated as close to non-negotiable for quarterbacks, particularly when offenses plan their pass protection schemes around a presumed starter at the left tackle spot.

The timing, though, matters. The report indicates Johnson is not in line to sign a Cardinals extension this offseason. In other words, Arizona’s near-term decision is already made for 2027, and the team does not necessarily need to resolve the big money question before the market forces the issue. That separation of phases, option year now and extension later, is a common approach for teams that want to preserve leverage and for players who believe their performance will help them command a higher number when the bargaining clock runs out.

For the Cardinals, the value of the fifth-year option is that it postpones certainty on a larger cap commitment while still securing continuity. A left tackle who remains in system for another year or two can stabilize both pass protection assignments and run blocking identities, particularly because the position often carries responsibility for handling elite edge pass rushers and coordinating slide protections.

For Johnson, the upside of waiting is that he can avoid locking into a deal while the league is still moving through its latest contract benchmarks. Tackle pricing tends to surge in waves as new comparables get negotiated, and Pro Football Rumors portrays Johnson as aiming to take advantage of that market momentum when the next phase of his career bargaining begins.

What to watch next is less about an immediate headline-grabbing signature and more about how Arizona manages the buildup toward 2027. If the Cardinals’ offensive line remains competitive and Johnson continues to be treated as the centerpiece of their pass protection plan, his eventual extension window may open with the leverage that both sides typically want. If the team’s broader roster construction shifts priorities, the numbers and urgency could change quickly, even if Johnson’s fifth-year option already provided short-term stability.