Cardinals OL Kelvin Beachum: 'I Don't Plan on Slowing Down Anytime Soon'

Kelvin Beachum spoke to AllCardinals in an exclusive interview to talk about his upcoming free agency.

Author:
Ryan Sanudo
Publish date:
Mar 9, 2023 10:56 AM EST

In this story:

The Arizona Cardinals were riddled with injuries in 2022 and yet, the team saw 33-year-old offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum start 17 games for them.

And now, Beachum is a free agent after playing three seasons for Arizona.

He spoke to All Cardinals in an exclusive interview, and the common theme for the 11-year-veteran is that when it comes to the NFL and free agency, "it's a relationship business."

NFL free agency begins on March 15 and Beachum did reveal that there's been interest from other teams to play either left or right tackle.

Before joining Arizona to be the team's starting right tackle in 2020, he started at left tackle for the previous seven seasons — three with the Pittsburgh Steelers, one with the Jacksonville Jaguars and three with the New York Jets.

The SMU product believes he's got plenty of juice in the tank.

"Man if I could play four or five more years, I (would) feel good about it," Beachum said. "I would love that. My body feels good. The product feels great. As long as I can perform and play the game and play the style of football that I want, I don't plan on slowing down anytime soon."

It's hard to blame Beachum's confidence. His 1,180 offensive snaps (97.93%) in 2022 was the highest mark on Arizona's offense.

The Cardinals finished 4-13 last year and dealt with plenty of off-the-field distractions, which Beachum believed "hampered the continuity that you want to have in a locker room to be successful."

But when asked if he's intrigued with new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, Beachum said, "He was in the Super Bowl last year, man . . . He did something right."

The Cardinals are in a clear rebuild phase and are set to have 30 players enter free agency while holding the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

As for Beachum, he does have two preferences in free agency.

"The preference is I want to play on grass," Beachum said. "People don't even think about that in free agency. For offensive linemen, being on the grass is something that I enjoy."

He wants to win, saying, "I just want to be at a place where I can play my best ball as part of a way to get in the dance and the dance is in the playoffs. If there's an opportunity to do so, that's what it's about. And ultimately, it's being able to be a part of a Super Bowl-winning team. I just want to be a contributor to getting a sense of the dance."

Yet, the 33-year-old Beachum also has something to prove.

"I think the biggest thing is that I still got it," Beachum said. "That's the fun part . . . I'm looking forward to proving my love for the game. Not only for this coming year but for many more years to come.

Beachum works in helping the community as he's the only five-time NFLPA Community MVP winner in the history of the award.

He's traveling to build water wells in Zambia, a country in Africa, with World Vision on March 10. He has already donated two wells and is looking for fan support for the third well.

"To be able to serve in a particular capacity is something that we're really excited about," Beachum said. "It's not just, you know, putting oil in the ground, but how do we provide an understanding of how to haul sanitation and good hygiene around that water?"

To contribute to the campaign, you can contribute here.