ARIZONA CARDINALS

Bidwill: Cardinals weren’t willing to part with draft picks for Sean Payton

Feb 23, 2023, 8:38 AM | Updated: 9:04 am

Of the 10 head-coaching candidates the Arizona Cardinals interviewed this offseason, now-Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton carried the highest profile.

He also carried with him a steep price tag that included the trading of draft capital to the Saints, Payton’s former team, due to the fact that the head coach had two years left on his previous deal with New Orleans.

“The issues around coach Payton had nothing to do with the money — the compensation that we would be paying him,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Thursday. “It was all the compensation, the draft compensation … we just weren’t willing to go with what the Saints wanted us to give up.

“It would have been too costly to the team for us to rebuild that roster. It was really a series of tradeoffs. I still felt like we got great coaches out there who could get this team turned around and I think we were right when you look at (new Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon).”

That’s not to say Bidwill didn’t bring ideas to the table when discussing potential trade compensation with New Orleans, who was unwilling to structure things differently when it came to acquiring Payton’s services, the owner said.

With Payton no longer an option, the Cardinals shifted focus to their other candidates before landing on Gannon after Super Bowl LVII.

Denver, however, ended up paying the Saints’ ransom of a 2023 first-round pick (29th overall) and a 2024 second-rounder pick in exchange for Payton and New Orleans’ 2024 third-round pick.

“It’s in that category of some of the deals you do versus the deals you don’t do,” Bidwill said. “We’re going to be really happy with those draft choices this year and next year … that will help us get this team better quickly.”

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort looks on. It's officially NFL mock draft season with Arizona's...

Tyler Drake

NFL mock draft tracker: What will Cardinals do with No. 16 pick?

A look across the NFL mock draft landscape when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals' No. 16 overall pick in this year's draft.

4 hours ago

The Arizona Cardinals announced a handful of coaching staff changes on Wednesday...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals undergoing even more coaching staff changes in 2025

The Arizona Cardinals continue to tweak their coaching staff ahead of the 2025 season with new hires and promotions from within.

20 hours ago

A latest NFL mock draft has the Cardinals trading down in the first round....

Tyler Drake

Cardinals’ trade-down in Chad Reuter’s latest mock draft makes a lot of sense

NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter's latest three-round mock draft has the Arizona Cardinals making a move and addressing multiple needs.

24 hours ago

The Philadelphia Eagles' impressive Super Bowl win shined a brighter light on the Cardinals' bigges...

Tyler Drake

The Eagles’ dominant Super Bowl win solidified Cardinals’ biggest need

The Philadelphia Eagles's stellar Super Bowl showing shined an even bigger light on what the Arizona Cardinals need to accomplish this offseason.

1 day ago

The Cardinals added more pass-rushing help in an NFL mock draft released Tuesday...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals address pass rusher in Field Yates’ latest NFL mock draft

ESPN's Field Yates has the Arizona Cardinals adding a key piece to their pass-rushing department in his latest NFL mock draft.

2 days ago

Super Bowl NFL...

Dan Bickley

Lessons from the 2024 NFL season, and what the Cardinals need to flourish

Monti Ossenfort needs to pull the right levers, signing high-end talent in free agency and drafting impact players just like the Eagles did in 2024.

3 days ago

Bidwill: Cardinals weren’t willing to part with draft picks for Sean Payton