Report: Cardinals GM told rivals he won’t consider trading draft pick until on the clock
Apr 22, 2024, 9:10 AM | Updated: 11:47 am
Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort can decide whether he’ll get enough assets to swing history for the rest of the NFL in this year’s draft. Knowing that he could alter quarterback landing spots depending on whether — and where — he trades the No. 4 pick on Thursday, Ossenfort is remaining patient.
He’s told rival executives that he will wait to hear out trade offers. As in, he doesn’t plan to trade the pick before he’s on the clock and aware of what players — likely quarterbacks — were drafted before Arizona. Ossenfort will also want to see which players remain on the board Thursday, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ossenfort has told teams around the league that have inquired about trading up that he wants to wait until he is in position to pick before agreeing to any trade.
A team always could try to outbid the market and lock in the selection now, but it’s difficult to give up the haul of compensation it would take without knowing exactly which quarterbacks will be available. And so Ossenfort is sitting, in the eyes of one coach, “in the catbird seat.” The coach explained: “He sits at [No.] 4 and can take all the calls he wants.”
Will the Arizona Cardinals trade their No. 4 draft pick?
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Mock drafts have linked the New York Giants (No. 6 overall pick), Minnesota Vikings (No. 11 and 23), Denver Broncos (No. 12) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) as potential trade partners.
All draft after Arizona but need a franchise quarterback.
There’s good reason for Ossenfort to hold off on a pre-draft trade.
What if one of the top-three quarterbacks in Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are still on the board?
What if fellow quarterback J.J. McCarthy, widely regarded as the fourth-best quarterback, has a hotter market than the Cardinals previously expected?
A complicating factor is the New England Patriots with the No. 3 pick, who according to Schefter and Dianna Russini are at least listening to trade calls about that selection.
There’s a reason why Broncos head coach Sean Payton said it’s “good to be Monti” last month at the NFL league meetings. The Cardinals will be in a good position to draft a franchise wide receiver or get a haul that could still net them one, all while adding to Ossenfort’s draft pick stash.
