The Arizona Cardinals are in offseason mode and we are still weeks away from free agency and months from the NFL draft. Over the next little while, we will take a look at each player on the roster or signed to a reserve deal and break down where they stand with the team.
We will look at their 2024 season, their contract status and what their status is for the coming offseason and 2025 season.
Next up is offensive lineman Jon Gaines.
2024 Jon Gaines stats, season
Gaines, a 2024 fourth-round pick, was healthy all season after missing his rookie year with a torn ACL. He was inactive as a healthy scratch for the first four games of the season, as Trystan Colon was the primary backup center.
However, after right guard Will Hernandez suffered his season-ending knee injury and Colon moved into the starting lineup replacing him, Gaines became the backup center.
He played in the next 13 games, logging 22 snaps on offense and 58 on special teams. He played 12 snaps at center, four as a jumbo tight end and was sometimes used as a fullback as a lead blocker.
2025 contract status
Gaines enters the third year of his rookie contract. He will make $1.03 million in salary in 2025 and will count more than $1.2 million against the cap.
Outlook for 2025
We will see if he can take the next step. Could he become one of the starters at guard? Will he cement himself as the backup center?
One would guess that he does not have a lock on any roster spot and will have to earn a roster spot, but he probably will at least be the team’s primary backup interior lineman entering the season, filling the role that Colon had to start the year.