Arizona Cardinals received Markus Golden in the 2020-10-23…
Arizona Cardinals received Markus Golden in the 2020-10-23 exchange, while New York Giants received 2021 6th round pick (201st overall, Rodarius Williams). Arizona reacquired Markus Golden and received useful pass-rush production after bringing him back. The Cardinals paid a 2021 sixth-round pick, but Golden’s on-field contribution made the veteran acquisition worthwhile and supports the strongest grade in this wave.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Markus Golden
New York Giants Received
- pick 2021 6th round pick (201st overall, Rodarius Williams )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 2020-10-23, Arizona Cardinals received Markus Golden, while New York Giants received 2021 6th round pick (201st overall, Rodarius Williams). The documented transaction and downstream asset history are sufficiently clear to judge the deal on what each side actually realized. This was not a franchise-altering blockbuster, but the eventual player and draft outcomes still create a meaningful basis for comparing the two returns.
Arizona Cardinals Return
Arizona reacquired Markus Golden and received useful pass-rush production after bringing him back. The Cardinals paid a 2021 sixth-round pick, but Golden’s on-field contribution made the veteran acquisition worthwhile and supports the strongest grade in this wave. The B+ grade reflects both the usefulness of the return and its duration. In a deal of this size, even modest production or retained draft flexibility matters, but it has to be weighed against what the other club ultimately extracted from the same exchange.
New York Giants Return
New York received the 2021 sixth-round choice at No. 201 and used it on Rodarius Williams. The Giants recovered draft capital, but the resulting value did not match what Golden supplied to Arizona after the trade. The C grade captures that side of the value equation. The important point is not simply what was promised on the trade date, but what the player or pick became after the transaction was completed and the asset chain played out.
Value in Hindsight
This is a straightforward veteran-for-pick comparison. Arizona received a player who helped its defense, while New York’s sixth-round return did not create equivalent value, giving the Cardinals a clear but not blockbuster win. The result is therefore best viewed through realized value rather than headline value at the moment of the trade. The grades stay proportional to the modest scale of the transaction while still recognizing the side that came away with the better outcome.
Final Verdict
Arizona/St. Louis Cardinals Win. Arizona Cardinals receives a B+, and New York Giants receives a C. The winning side produced the better realized return from the documented package, while the losing side still gets credit for any useful value it received rather than being treated as though the transaction produced nothing.