GLENDALE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals linebacker, Markus Golden, grew up in St. Louis, MO, but he's made the Valley his home since being selected by Arizona in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Now, in his second stint with the Cards, Golden has emerged as one of the most impactful playmakers on this team. He leads the team in sacks (10), forced fumbles (4) and fumble recoveries (2). Golden has a special term for what he does on the gridiron week in and week out: hunting.
“I’m from St. Louis City so we don’t do much hunting,” Golden said of the actual sport of hunting. “I had a couple friends that hunted but I never went with them, so I do my hunting on the field I like to hunt down quarterbacks and running backs, too.”
The Mizzou product’s affinity for hunting quarterbacks has already made him $500,000 richer this season. The 31-year-old recorded his 10th sack of the season, earning him that hefty bonus. If he gets three more, he’ll earn another $1 million. Golden’s persona and performance on the field have produced a special moniker.
“Junkyard Dog,” Golden said with a smile. “For short it’s ‘Junk’ it’s a name I got my rookie year just because of how I played the game, how I played the game in college so when I got here, they were already calling me ‘Junkyard Dog.’ I like it, it says a lot about my game.”
Golden’s rookie season ended with the Cardinals’ loss to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game back in 2016. Junk, as his teammates and coaches lovingly call him, is thrilled to be back in the Valley with a chance at making more history with this Cardinals team.
“That’s big. We put in a lot of work in the offseason then you go to camp and it’s a lot of hard work and a lot of practices so when you finally get to play the games, which is the fun part in the NFL, and you can keep winning them like we’re doing, it’s exciting and it makes you want to go out there and do even better,” Golden said. ”That’s what I’ve noticed from all of my teammates everybody’s motivated every day and want to keep getting out there and doing more.”
The Cardinals now turn their attention to the Chicago Bears as they prepare for their final six games of the season. The kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. MT on Sunday.
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