Cardinals pull off trade, add WR Marquise Brown from Ravens

GLENDALE, AZ (AP) — The Cardinals have acquired receiver Marquise Brown in a draft-day trade with the Ravens, sending the No. 23 overall pick back to Baltimore in return. The move shores up one big area of need for the Cardinals, who were hunting for a No. 2 receiver to pair with three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins. Last year’s other main option at wide receiver, Christian Kirk, left for a bigger paycheck with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Brown caught 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six TDs last season for the Ravens. The Cardinals also received Baltimore’s third-round pick in the deal. The deal reunites Brown with Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. The pair played together in college at the University of Oklahoma in 2018. Murray won the Heisman Trophy that year.

The trade also shows the team is in “win now” mode. The Cardinals started the season 10-2 last season and they had their eyes on a trip to the Super Bowl. However, they lost four of their last five games and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Los Angeles Rams, in the wild card round of the playoffs.

AZ Family Digital Staff contributed to this report.