Michael Irvin is 60 years old and hasn't played in the NFL in nearly three decades. But given what modern wide receivers are getting paid, he might consider coming back. Last week, the Arizona Cardinals agreed to a three-year, $75 million extension with Michael Wilson.
At $25 million per year, he's now one of the league's highest-paid wideouts, in the same tier as players like DeVonta Smith ($25 million), Jameson Williams ($26.7 million), George Pickens ($27.3 million), and D.J. Irvin recently sat down with social media influencer Neon and joked that if players like Wilson are earning that much, he might consider unretiring. "I saw a guy today; he had 73 catches, a thousand yards," Irvin said.
"He got a contract of three years, $75 million. That's $25 million a year. I caught 105 and 110 balls.
I would be getting 40, 50, 60 million a year right now." More news: Scott Hanson Promises Change After NFL RedZone Ad Backlash Wilson is coming off a breakout season with the Cardinals, hauling in 78 catches on 126 targets for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns. Given today's market, he's earned the new deal. But $25 million per year is still a staggering amount for a player who's still only the third receiving option on one of the worst offenses in the NFL, behind Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison has largely underperformed since entering the league, and with his own extension looming, it makes sense for Arizona to lock down Wilson now. But Irvin isn't wrong in his assessment — if he were playing today, he'd likely be earning at least $30-40 million per year, in line with other elite wideouts. More news: Clear Favorite Emerges to Hire Former The Athletic Insider Dianna Russini More news: NFL Drops Hammer on Browns Player With Season’s Largest Preseason Fine Irvin's best season came in 1995 with the Dallas Cowboys, when he posted 111 catches for 1,603 yards and 10 touchdowns.
At the time, he was the highest-paid receiver in the league, signed to a five-year, $15 million deal — an annual salary of just $3 million.
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