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Arizona Cardinals Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson is missing in action and no one outside of the two parties knows when he’ll be back.
If at all.
After failing to appear for voluntary team workouts earlier this offseason, the veteran made an emphatic statement by being the only Cardinal absent during last week’s mandatory minicamp. The 11-year standout from Florida State, who has a 2022 cap hit of just over $12 million, was not excused from last week’s workouts according to coach Kliff Kingsbury.
“We’re still working through it,” a disgruntled Kingsbury said last Tuesday. “As soon as we have an update we’ll let you know.”
For a team that is desperate for quality offensive-line play, and considering the costly investment that the Cardinals are about to make with quarterback Kyler Murray, those comments from Kingsbury do not sound promising as it relates to Hudson’s long-term outlook with the club. Nor does the idea of fellow veteran Justin Pugh working almost exclusively at center during minicamp. Pugh, who did not dismiss the notion of playing the position full-time this fall, confirmed recently that the upcoming season will be his last.
As heartwarming as it sounds that Pugh’s last dance may potentially see him snapping balls to Murray, the seismic shift upfront immediately makes two positions on the team’s offensive line worse. Pugh is undoubtedly the Cardinals’ best guard while Hudson is borderline irreplaceable, given his ability and experience. It’s because of this that general manager Steve Keim wisely surrendered a third-round pick to acquire the former Raider last spring.
Hudson, who experienced a falling out with then Raider coach Jon Gruden, was scheduled to be released due to his refusal to take a pay cut. Knowing that his preference was to return to Kansas City, the place where Hudson began his NFL career in 2011, Keim made the move to land Arizona its first Pro-Bowl level offensive linemen since Mike Iupati. Shortly after his arrival in the desert, Hudson agreed to a three-year, $30 million extension last April.
A little more than one calendar year later, Hudson’s status with the team is dicey at best. After an up-and-down 2021 campaign in which Hudson’s play was hampered due to injuries that saw him miss five games, the Cardinals were rightfully banking on a rebound season in 2022. Instead, they enter the dead of summer uneasy about the presence of No. 61 in their starting lineup. While it’s easy to speculate as to why Hudson has chosen to take this time away from the team, there has been no official announcement made regarding his future with both the Cardinals and the NFL.
Perhaps he is simply taking added time away from the facility in an effort to rest his body for the rigors that come with a 17-game season. But knowing Kingsbury’s pro-player, relaxed nature as an NFL head coach, the fact that he became so animated over a couple of missed practices in early June signals that there is much more fire burning beneath this smoke.
Considering that Hudson’s deal was just redone last April, it’s probably fair to cross off contract dispute from the list of viable choices. That leaves the Cardinals and their fanbase with one of two options. Rodney Hudson has either made up his mind that he is finished playing football for the Arizona Cardinals, or he’s simply finished playing football altogether.
Even though Pugh confirmed that Hudson recently attended both his bachelor party and wedding in Florida earlier this offseason, that doesn’t mean the big man is content with staying in Arizona for his teammates alone. Perhaps he’s had a change of heart and would prefer to finish his career closer to his home state of Alabama. Maybe he’s grown frustrated with the direction of the organization and has privately clashed with offensive line coach Sean Kugler.
Again, no one outside of Hudson’s camp and the Arizona Cardinals knows the whole story, which is what makes this entire scenario all the more frustrating. It doesn’t help that the club recently went through a similar experience last fall when former Cardinals defensive back Malcolm Butler abruptly left the team at the start of the preseason only to announce his retirement shortly after. It’s no secret that Keim and the Cardinals have been spurned by several high-priced free-agent additions recently. Perhaps that is why the Cardinals have been so adamant about their reluctance this offseason to commit high dollars to outside free agents.
Until the issues are made public by Hudson, these questions will continue to run rampant. Until then, the Cardinals and their fans must sit and stew over the idea that their most decorated offensive lineman may not be there come Sunday, Sept. 11 against Kansas City. If that’s the case, Keim and company need to get moving on a replacement fast. With each passing day, the team runs the risk of some capable options (JC Tretter, etc.) being snatched up by an opposing team. As uncomfortable as it may be, the Cardinals need to press Hudson for an answer regarding his future so that they can act accordingly.
It’s hard to believe that, after years of turnover and replacement level play, the Cardinals were gifted an outlier season at center only to be back at the drawing board just one year later.
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