Markus Golden

BIOGRAPHY

Markus Golden was born on March 13, 1991, in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a linebacker in the NFL.

Golden studied at the University of Missouri and is a defensive end that has played in multiple teams throughout his NFL career such as the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. In his early years, Golden attended Affton High School where he played as a running back and a linebacker. As a senior, he ran for a record 2,264 yards and 30 touchdowns while also making 108 tackles and 10 sacks while in his junior season he recorded a school record 168 tackles and 16 sacks, while he also ran for 1,139 yards and 16 scores. After finishing high school, Golden committed to the Hutchinson Community College where as a freshman he made 90 tackles, including 26 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, to go with five forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions. He then transferred to the University of Missouri where he provided a nice impact, playing in all 12 games and making 10 tackles while forcing one fumble and he was also a major performer on various special team units. As a junior in 2013, Golden played about 40% of the snaps behind Kony Ealy and Michael Sam and led the team with 55 tackles on the year, and added 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks with 8 passes broken up. He entered his senior season as one of the premier pass rushers in the nation and finished the season with 78 tackles and 10 sacks on the season. He became the first Missouri teammate to record double-digit sacks in the same season alongside his teammate Shane Ray. 

On December 24, 2014, Golden accepted to play in the 2015 Senior Bowl, where he impressed scouts and team representatives with his ability to get to the quarterback. After he attended the NFL Scouting Combine, Golden was projected by NFL draft experts and scouts to be a third to fifth round pick. He was ranked the ninth-best defensive end prospect by NFL analyst Charles Davis, he was ranked the 12th best defensive end by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and was ranked the 14th best outside linebacker in the draft by DraftScout.com. 

Golden entered the 2015 NFL Draft where he was selected in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals and on May 14, 2015, the Arizona Cardinals signed Golden to a four-year contract and was named the backup strongside linebacker to start the regular season. He made his professional regular season debut for the Cardinals against the New Orleans Saints where he made his first career tackle on Khiry Robinson. The following week, he had one assisted tackle and had his first career sack with Kareem Martin on quarterback Jimmy Clausen for a ten-yard loss. On October 18, 2015, Golden made his first career start and recorded a season-high six combined tackles against the Pittsburgh Steelers. n Week 11, Golden collected three solo tackles and made his first career solo sack on the Cinncinati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. e finished his rookie season with 31 combined tackles where 21 of them were solo and four sacks, and two forced fumbles in 15 games and six starts. On January 16, 2016, Golden received started his first career playoff game against the Green Bay Packers on the NFC Divisional Round. 

In the 2016 season, he was named the starting weakside linebacker to begin the regular season. In Week 3, he made his first official start of the season and collected six combined tackles and sack on the Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He finished the season with 51 combined tackles, 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 16 games and three starts and led the Cardinals with 12.5 sacks and finished third in the entire league. Golden and Chandler Jones became the first Arizona Cardinals duo to both finish with a double-digit sack total since 1984, combining for 22.5 total sacks. Golden began the 2017 season as the starting weakside linebacker after having a stellar season in 2016. e finished the season with 11 solo tackles in four games and four starts. In the 2018 season, Golden started 11 games, recording 30 tackles and 2.5 sacks and on March 14, 2019, Golden signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants. 

On March 14, 2019, Golden signed a one-year deal worth $3,750,000 contract with the New York Giants. On April 27, 2020, the Giants placed the unrestricted free agent tender on Golden, meaning if he remained unsigned by July 22, he could only sign with the Giants for the 2020 season. He signed the one-year tender on August 4, 2020.

On October 23, 2020, Golden returned to the Arizona Cardinals after he was traded by the Giants for a 2021 sixth-round draft pick. On March 15, 2021, Golden signed a two-year extension with the Cardinals. He played in 16 games with five starts, recording 48 tackles, four forced fumbles, and led the team with 11.0 sacks. Golden joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023.