<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Justin Bethel enters free agency on a quest for playing time

          Justin Bethel has four career interceptions and three defensive touchdowns in six seasons. Grant Halverson/Getty Images
          • Josh Weinfuss, ESPN Staff WriterMar 14, 2018, 02:00 PM
            Close
              Josh Weinfuss is a staff writer who covers the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL at ESPN. Josh has covered the Cardinals since 2012, joining ESPN in 2013. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a graduate of Indiana University. You can follow him via Twitter @joshweinfuss.
            Follow on X

          TEMPE, Ariz. -- The pause was palpable.

          Justin Bethel was asked if he wanted to come back to the Arizona Cardinals -- the team that drafted him in the sixth round out of Presbyterian College, the team that he became a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro for, the team that tried to turn him into a defensive back, the team that gave him a three-year extension worth $15 million and then asked him to restructure it less than a year-and-a-half later. He paused.

          "Kind of just going to see what happens," Bethel told ESPN. "See what kind of moves happen and if there are any moves. Really, at the end of the day, we're just trying to find the best fit for me and I think that's what we're going to go out and try to do."

          Bethel's six seasons with the Cardinals were a tale of two stories.

          He was an elite gunner, garnering league-wide attention on special teams, but he struggled to become a starting defensive back despite being given multiple opportunities to own the position. However, Bethel has four career interceptions and three defensive touchdowns.

          Should Bethel become a free agent at 4 p.m. ET today, he'll be on a quest to continue his journey as a defensive back, despite the limited success he's had there thus far.

          "I definitely want to play defense," he said. "Obviously, wherever I go, I bring that special teams element. I can always contribute there, but I definitely want to play defense."

          Bethel is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent today because of restructuring his contract last offseason. He said he didn't want to take a pay cut and then return to Arizona for a third season under that deal. So, he took less money, he said, and was given an opportunity to make more money elsewhere. If he hits the market today, that's what he plans on doing: evaluating the field and finding a new home.

          "Obviously, the season didn't go exactly as I had planned it, but I think I still showed enough of what I can do," Bethel said. "All I can do now is ... see what's out there and train this offseason and get ready for the next year."