NFL free agency has become the Cardinals’ chore

Maybe the Cardinals can petition the NFL to ban free agency. Like the NFLPA report card, it’s a process that only makes us look bad. 

Feeling underwhelmed? Our NFL franchise ostensibly went shopping for a new starting quarterback on Monday, only to end up with veteran backup Gardner Minshew, who will be second on the depth chart behind Jacoby Brissett, also known as a veteran backup. Do not expect confetti or a contending team in 2026. 

Many fans are seething all over again. The outrage is understandable. The Cardinals have no room to quibble, not after 102 losses in the past 10 years. 

It’s not just because they lost out on a budding star in Malik Willis, who signed a deal with the Dolphins that included $45 million in guaranteed money. Willis is a risky proposition with very little experience, a player that might not pan out.

Team apologists quickly claimed the Cardinals could never afford such a luxury item when they must pay Kyler Murray another $36 million to go away, even though the Dolphins are paying more than that to do the same with Tua Tagovailoa.

It’s not because they lost out on Jimmy Garoppolo, after negotiations reportedly “hit a snag.” Garoppolo is more handsome than most NFL quarterbacks and very close to new head coach Mike LaFleur. But he has played 11 games in three years.  He is no clear upgrade over the incumbent Brissett. 

What hurts is the rejection. It’s the realization that the Cardinals could not land Willis despite their Green Bay connections, at a time when star players are yearning to play for the Diamondbacks and Suns.

It’s the implication that Garoppolo would rather serve as a backup in Los Angeles than a starter in Arizona. It’s the desolation of our fandom, cheering for a football team one ESPN host recently declared the “most irrelevant franchise in the NFL.”

But let’s be fair. Yes, general manager Monti Ossenfort has a very poor record in talent acquisition. It’s hard to go 3-14 in Year 3 of a rebuild. But he cannot dictate where free agents want to play, and from a leverage standpoint, he’s been dealt a very bad hand. 

The Cardinals have consistently posted the worst grades in the annual NFLPA report card. Owner/team president Michael Bidwill earned an F in the most recent edition, even though he had already pledged a new training facility to his players and had successfully fought to keep the results of the survey private.

The Cardinals are trapped in the basement of an extraordinary division full of genius head coaches. Free agency has become a chore. Josh Sweat was a rare home run. And it appears nothing will change until the Cardinals get better on the field or closer to the debut of their new facility. 

In the end, Brissett might surprise everyone. He was terrific in large swaths of last season, even though he delivered only one victory.

With a better offensive line and running game that features the addition of Tyler Allgeier and the return of culture warrior James Conner, he might make them palatable on offense.

Either way, the rebuild continues, and the Cardinals will likely be spending a top 10 pick on a franchise quarterback in Spring 2027. 

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7. 

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