Wide receiver coming off breakout season in Arizona

Darren Urban

While the Cardinals were in Green Bay for their joint practice with the Packers, a local writer askedMichael Wilsonwhat it was like playing in a red jersey among all the green and gold around the fields.

"You guys have green and gold," the wide receiver said with a smile, "but to me, this Cardinal red is the best color in all of football."

On Thursday, Wilson and the team made sure that viewpoint would not change anytime soon.

Wilson, who had been scheduled to become a free agent at season's end, signed a three-year contract extension with the Cardinals, locking him up through the 2029 season.

"It still hasn't hit me yet," Wilson said in the moments after signing the deal. "The state of Arizona, this franchise, they mean everything to me. Getting this deal done, a lot of guys would look at this like an end point but to me, it's just more motivation, more fuel, more fire to pay back what the organization has given me and bring championships and wins to the franchise."

ESPN reported the deal is worth $75 million, with $47M guaranteed.

With his mother and daughter Gigi on hand for the signing (his wife Sophia is in Portland, in-season playing for the National Women's Soccer League's Thorns), Wilson had a hard time suppressing a smile at any point.

"(Gigi) is like my little good luck charm," Wilson said. "It's just been a great week."

It has been a good week for coach Mike LaFleur as well, who found Wilson right before the signing to give him a congratulatory hug and left clapping enthusiastically for the move.

"It's great for the Cardinals," LaFleur said. "It's great for his teammates, his locker room.It's good for our fan base. If anyone that really knows Mike, you can't helpbut root for the guy."

Wilson, a third-round pick in 2023, had been a steady pass catcher through most of his career. But after Jacoby Brissett took over as quarterback in the sixth game of 2025, Wilson's play and production hit a new level.

Wilson finished with his first 1,000-yard season, totaling 78 catches for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns, nearly doubling his stats from his first two years. He had a career-best 15 catches for 185 yards in a home game against the 49ers. Over the last eight games of the season, Wilson had 56 receptions for 775 yards and six touchdowns.

The contract discussion had been a storyline since the offseason began. GM Monti Ossenfort had said back at the Scouting Combine the Cardinals wanted to keep Wilson long-term.

An ESPN report came out Wednesday morning saying a deal wasn't close and that there was a good chance Wilson would reach free agency by season's end. Wilson acknowledged he saw the report that morning and feared a deal would not get done.

That changed by Wednesday night. "Conversations happened, tides turned and things got done," Wilson said. "I couldn't even sleep last night (with excitement)."

"His approach every single day, it's just so consistent," LaFleur said. "It's the meeting rooms, his attention to detail, just how he goes about his business. He's the perfect example of, 'Don't mistake his kindness for weakness.' This dude is a tough dude, and I've gotten to see a little bit more. I knew it, and I've seen it, but then you get to see it even a little bit more during competition."

Wilson tried to stay out of the contract conversations, not wanting the ebb and flow of negotiations to impact how he was showing out every day for coaches and teammates.

But he wanted to be in Arizona. And he's glad it turned out that way.

"I want to be a centerpiece of trying to flip something," Wilson said. "That's way more gratifying and rewarding going through the dark days and tough times when you've lost bad games when there is more Niner fans than Arizona fans (in the stands). How cool would it be ... when we are in the race of the playoffs or a playoff team or in the playoffs and being a centerpiece of turning the tides? That sense of loyalty, that just screams the type of player and person I want to be.

"I've got so much love for Arizona. Not even tied to the franchise, I could see myself living here the rest of my life."

PRACTICE SQUAD FILLED OUT

The Cardinals completed their practice squad roster on Thursday, signing cornerback D'Shawn Jamison. Jamison has been in the NFL since 2023, playing in 15 games with the Panthers as a rookie that season. He appeared in three games with the Steelers in 2025.