NFL.com: Cardinals among teams with most at stake in free agency

To say this could be a big offseason for the Arizona Cardinals might be putting it lightly.

Coming off a 2016 that saw them take a step back and win just seven games while missing the playoffs, hopes of rebounding and getting back to the postseason may very well rely on what general manager Steve Keim and the front office can accomplish over the coming weeks.

With the league’s free agency contact period beginning Tuesday and teams being able to sign free agents beginning Thursday, whatever it is the Cardinals are looking to accomplish will become clear soon.

With around $17 million in available cap space and nearly 20 of their own players hitting the market, the team’s options would appear to be limited, however.

Regardless of what the team wants to achieve in free agency, one thing that is certain is just how important it all is, which is why NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal listed the Cardinals among teams with the most at stake right at this time.

Having a starting quarterback at the end of the line is the easiest way to make a season feel like now or never. Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald’s flirtation with retirement this offseason puts an expiration date on this version of the Bruce Arians Cardinals.

Even general manager Steve Keim’s 4-year-old knows the team needs its next “quarterback of the future,” but Keim needs to balance that pressing concern with supplementing a talented defensive roster which could be decimated. Defensive end Calais Campbell, linebacker Kevin Minter and safety Tony Jefferson all could leave via free agency after productive seasons. Listening to Keim and Arians at the combine, it sounded like they knew this offseason was massive for them and they weren’t going to stay quiet.

Both Keim and Arians have openly talked about a desire to find a young quarterback, though each has acknowledged the difficulty in doing just that.

Also at the combine, the GM and coach touched on the topic of free agency, at least with regards to their own players.

As Rosenthal noted, the Cardinals could very well lose some key members of their defense, which could itself do plenty to impact the team’s approach going forward.

Along with that there is, of course, the specter of this being the final season for Palmer and Fitzgerald, which would hasten a desire to make the 2017 Cardinals as good as they can be.

Related

Cardinals announce 13 practice squad signings, plus international player exemptionCardinals’ biggest 53-man roster surprises following cutdown deadlineBJ Ojulari cut as Cardinals lock in initial 53-man rosterCardinals’ James Conner starting season on injured reserveAaron Donald coming out of retirement, returning to Rams on 1-year deal53-man roster cuts: Cardinals releasing CBs Sean Murphy-Bunting, Starling Thomas V