Cardinals sign Daryl Washington through 2017

The Arizona Cardinals paid defensive end Calais Campbell this summer and now they’ve secured another playmaker on their defense for the long haul by extending the contract of linebacker Daryl Washinton.

The club announced that Washington has signed a six-year extension that will carry through the 2017 season. It was an aggressive move by the club because Washington, a second-round draft pick in 2010, had two years remaining on his rookie contract.

But by doing a deal now with Washington the player gets security for the long haul and the Cardinals likely get a discount although figures are not known at this point. That would make it the opposite of what the club encountered with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald who twice has leveraged the organization to the maximum in getting new deals.

“Two things that successful teams do consistently is build through the draft and keep their core players,” Cardinals general manager Rod Graves said in a statement released by the club. “Daryl has certainly lived up to the potential we all saw in him coming out of TCU in 2010 and he has established himself as one of the top young defensive players in the NFL. I know he feels, like we do, that his best football is still ahead of him and we’re thrilled that this deal gives him the opportunity to achieve that with the Cardinals.”

In his second season, Washington made 107 tackles last season and added five sacks. Now, that he’s on board for the long haul maybe the Cardinals can turn their attention to a disappointing and troubling quarterback situation.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

