The Arizona Cardinals have signed 22-year-old quarterback Cole McDonald to a futures contract for the 2021 season, the team announced on Thursday.
McDonald was a seventh-round draft pick last year out of Hawaii by the Titans, but he was waived during training camp on Aug. 19. He spent time this past fall with the Conquerors of the Spring League, a scouting and developmental league.
The Cardinals invited him to Arizona for a workout during the final week of the 2020 season and reportedly brought him back in earlier this week for another look.
Besides Kyler Murray, the only other quarterback presently under contract for next season is backup Chris Streveler, who struggled in his only significant action while filling in for an injured Murray during the team’s regular-season finale at the Rams. With Murray out because of an ankle issue, Streveler, a rookie out of the Canadian Football League, went 11 of 16 for 105 yards with a touchdown and an interception during Arizona’s 18-7 loss.
With a win, the Cardinals would have advanced to the postseason.
Brett Hundley, who served as the backup to Murray in 2019, was limited to third-string status all of last season and was never activated for a single game. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent when the NFL’s new league year commences on March 17.
McDonald, at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, recorded the fastest 40-yard dash among quarterbacks with a time of 4.58 seconds and the highest vertical jump at 36 inches at the scouting combine last year. In his three seasons at Hawaii, McDonald passed for 8,032 yards and 70 touchdowns, including 4,135 yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior with a 76.3 completion percentage.
McDonald, who also rushed for 880 career yards and 12 touchdowns, completed 61.4 percent of his passes in college overall.
Click here to learn more about McDonald.
