Arizona Cardinals sign former New York Giants OL Justin Pugh

Kent Somers
Arizona Republic
Oct 1, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Giants offensive guard Justin Pugh (67) blocks as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Noah Spence (57) rushes during the second half at Raymond James Stadium.

Justin Pugh grew up in Pennsylvania, went to college at Syracuse and spent his first five years in the NFL with the New York Giants.

So Pugh felt some trepidation when he visited the Cardinals this week. That feeling quickly dissipated and Pugh, a free-agent offensive lineman, signed a five-year contract with the Cardinals on Saturday.

“I was blown away,” he said. “I’m an East Coast guy. They put me at ease.”

Financial terms weren’t immediately available, but reports have the contract worth as much as $45 million. That should help Pugh’s move west.

Besides, he doesn’t appear to be a high-maintenance guy.

“Just tell me I’m not going to have rattlesnakes in my front yard, and I’m good,” he said in a news conference on Saturday. “I don’t mess with snakes. The no-humidity thing is amazing. I’m a big guy and we sweat. That’s definitely a plus.”

Cardinals coach Steve Wilks and General Manager Steve Keim have not been available to reporters since free agency started last Monday,  but it appears the team expects Pugh to be the starting right guard.

At this time, the Cardinals' starting offensive line appears to be D.J. Humphries at left tackle, Mike Iupati at left guard, A.Q. Shipley at center, Pugh, and Andre Smith at right tackle.

Of those five, Shipley is the only one who wasn’t on injured reserve a year ago.

Pugh, who turns 28 in August, has played a full 16-game schedule just once – as a rookie – and missed eight games last year with a back injury.

Surgery wasn’t required and Pugh said he is fully recovered.

“I probably came back a little too soon,” Pugh said.

If Pugh plays as well as he handled his press conference, the Cardinals would be thrilled. Pugh felt at home in front of a small group of reporters, a fraction of the size of the New York media.

Pugh met a handful of Cardinals players during his trip, including receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and he went to college with linebacker Chandler Jones.

“Me and Chandler didn’t know how good we were,” he said. “Chandler weighed about a buck twenty when he came to Syracuse. I was out of shape. ‘Puny’ was my nickname. Me and Chandler battled four years not knowing how good we were.

“We made a pact when he was a junior and I was a sophomore that we were going to go first round. He went 21st overall and I went 19th the year after, so we held true.”

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Mathieu, Brown sign elsewhere

  • Former Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu, released on Wednesday, signed with Houston, the Texans announced. Mathieu’s one-year deal is worth $7 million, according to reports, which is believed to be less than the Cardinals were offering.
  • Jaron Brown became the second Cardinals receiver to leave via free agency. He has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Seattle. John Brown signed with the Ravens last week.
  • Cornerback E.J. Gaines, formerly with the Bills, is visiting the Cardinals this weekend, according to Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. Gaines, 26, started 11 games for the Bills last year and missed five games with injuries.