Austin Keys

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	Tkl	Sacks	INT
Career		11	7	1.0	—
2025		11	7	1.0	0

Updated Jun 12, 2026

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Earning a D+ Contract Value Index, Austin Keys's 3-year pact reflects how Arizona valued the position market for a developmental depth linebacker acquired via waiver claim. The contract itself—worth $993K annually—positions Keys as classic replacement-level salary, commensurate with a player who logged 7 tackles and 1 sack across 11 games in 2025 and carries a D performance grade. At 24 years old in just his rookie season, Keys remains in the foundational development window where modest dollars make sense, but the CVI reflects the harsh reality that production hasn't yet justified anything beyond a fringe roster spot. The Cardinals' recent roster churn—releasing and re-signing linebackers while aggressively adding at safety, outside linebacker, and the interior defensive line—signals organizational ambivalence about Keys's current standing, suggesting the organization views him as one of several competing options rather than a protected prospect. Unless the 2026 preseason and training camp deliver a dramatic step forward in his game, Keys risks remaining anonymous depth on a rebuilding roster, and his contract carries no guaranteed leverage or prestige that would insulate him from further roster flux. The three-year term is standard NFL depth-piece architecture, but it's also a low-stakes bet: either Keys develops into a consistent contributor, or Arizona moves on without significant cap consequence.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Austin's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Stacked against the LB field, Austin Keys grades out at a D performance level for Arizona Cardinals. His 2025 season production—7 tackles and 1 sack across 11 games—places him squarely in the replacement-level tier, the kind of depth-chart contributor who generates minimal impact on either side of the ball. The single sack represents his only splash play last season, a modest bright spot in an otherwise quiet statistical profile. His durability wasn't an issue—he appeared in all 11 games—but the production never justified elevated snap share or expanded role responsibilities. At 24 in his rookie season, Keys has the developmental runway to improve, but right now he enters the 2026 offseason as an anonymous waiver-wire claim on a rebuilding Cardinals roster that has since added multiple linebackers and defensive pieces, further diluting any near-term path to meaningful playing time. Unless he generates a standout training camp showing, Keys will likely remain a depth piece and potential special-teams contributor—the exact organizational designation that aligns with both his D grade and the administrative-only media coverage he's received to date.

How Austin Compares at the Position

Austin Keys ranks 317th of 338 graded linebackers by performance. That slots Austin between Marlowe Wax (D) just ahead and Ty'ron Hopper (D) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Austin Keys enters the 2026 season as one of the most anonymous names on the Arizona Cardinals roster, and his D sentiment grade reflects a public profile that is essentially nonexistent outside of transaction wire reports. The entire media narrative surrounding him is administrative — waiver claim announcements, offseason depth chart profiles, and Auburn alumni mentions are the sum total of his coverage, none of it driven by anything he's done between the lines on Sundays. That aligns squarely with his D performance grade and what the 2025 season actually produced: 7 tackles and 1 sack across 11 games, replacement-level output that gives analysts and fans virtually no reason to pay attention. The Cardinals' recent offseason activity — a wave of signings at safety, outside linebacker, guard, tight end, and defensive line — only deepens the noise around Keys, adding more competition and further diluting whatever modest roster leverage he currently holds. At 24 with just one season under his belt, the developmental path isn't impossible, but right now the narrative sits exactly where his production does: at the bottom of the depth chart, generating zero buzz and zero urgency from anyone paying attention to this roster.