The Arizona Cardinals aren’t winning games — nor are they coming particularly close to doing so. It’s understandably hard for fans to consume and digest some of the high-end talent that is still present on this roster. Star tight end Trey McBride is the first name that springs to mind in that regard.
Unfortunately, McBride’s dominance has often been overshadowed by the poor results this season — as was the case after the Cardinals’ 37-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road Sunday.
What McBride was able to accomplish in that game was nothing short of remarkable. The fourth-year pass-catcher hauled in 10 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown — a somewhat pedestrian statline, given his impressive baseline. But with those 10 passes came NFL history.
Trey McBride Makes History in Loss to Bengals
McBride entered play Sunday with 109 receptions on the season — seven short of the single-season record by a tight end. Ironically, that record (116) was held by former Cardinal Zach Ertz (though from his Eagles playing days).
With his 10 receptions, McBride shattered the record, surpassing Ertz by three with a full game left in the regular season. Not only does his name now sit in the NFL history books, but he also passes Deandre Hopkins for the most receptions by any Cardinals pass-catcher (115).
Up to 1,174 yards on the season (a personal record), McBride needs only 32 against the Los Angeles Rams in the final week to claim the title of most receiving yards in a season by a Cardinals TE. That number (1,205) is a 48-year-old record held by Jackie Smith of the then-St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s not as if it’s just been empty stats. Granted, the Cardinals have played plenty of garbage-time minutes, but the eye test confirms what the numbers imply — when on, McBride is a giant among men on the field. He’s the one player opposing teams circle with a red marker prior to their matchups with Arizona, no matter how poorly the Cardinals may be playing.
Of course, those records do nothing to assuage the pain of a truly brutal 3-13 season. The Cardinals are in danger of going 1-14 down the stretch of 2025, regardless of how many yards, touchdowns or intangibles McBride brings to the table. And the star TE understands that, without a shadow of a doubt.
“I wish I was more excited about it… but right now it’s frustrating,” McBride said.
“Obviously, it’s really cool. I’m thankful for my teammates, my coaches, Jacoby [Brissett], all those guys. It’s cool to get it in 16 games, too. I don’t want anyone to give me a hard time about that,” he told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss.
“So, glad we got that. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter. Would love to have won the game, would love to have played better as an offense, but it just wasn’t there.”
Perhaps that’s part of what sets McBride apart in his own right. No matter how poorly 2025 has gone, the intensity has remained. That was exemplified about as strongly as one could imagine on Sunday.
The score was 37-7 with 12 minutes remaining. The game was over. It was 4th & 7 with nearly no hope of a comeback. Brissett shot a pass over the middle that was deflected high into the Cincinnati sky — simply begging to be picked off.
McBride, with no inkling of making a business decision (and perhaps no sense of personal safety) rumbled into the fray and ripped the ball out of the air — in between no less than four Cincinnati defenders. He was well short of the first down, but it didn’t matter to him in that moment. When that ball is in the air, it’s his — no matter how little there may be to fight for.
“I’m proud of him,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said. “He shows up to work every day and battles, and he’s one of the best players out there. That’s really cool. I’m down about the team, and I know he’s down about the team, but I don’t want to overlook that. He’s had a fantastic year.”
There’s so little to celebrate in this 2025 season, it’s worth giving a look to one of the true elite talents in the NFL. Perhaps that might make the sting of a failed season even more intense, knowing an elite season’s worth of McBride’s efforts won’t be anywhere close to enough to bring this team to the playoffs.
The Cardinals may seem rudderless, and it’s tough to pick out any semblance of hope for the time being. After all, NFL records don’t show up in the win column. But in a season that has brought so much anguish to the Arizona faithful, it’s worth reveling in such an accomplishment — and the fact that McBride is still 26 years old with four years left on his contract.
