1 –
This is another example of why I (and several other posters) have been saying for years that the salary cap doesn’t limit any team at all. And it will continue to increase year after year, and most likely even more when Netflix and other actors enter the TV bidding war.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Look up how the Eagles do it, for example. They backload all their players’ contracts, pushing money into the future budget, because they know that the cap will increase again and again. They are certainly not the only team that does this, but I think they are just a very good example right after having won it all.
Obviously, Bidwill will excuse the Cards’ shortcomings by pointing to salary cap restrictions (and Ossenfort have to follow orders), because he knows very well that fans will believe him, but the reality is that teams that don’t take advantage of the possibilities are either cheap or don’t understand the system.
2 – Now, after thought #1, let me also explain why the salary cap is not totally meaningless for this year’s free agency (and in general): likely for the opposite reasons of what you think about the salary cap.
There are rules that specify how much each team is required to pay in cash, and that amount is dependent on the salary cap. Specifically, any team must spend 90% of the accumulated salary cap amount after a three-year period. This period started in 2024, so it runs through 2026, and thus, we don’t yet know how much the Cards need to have spent at the end of this three-year cycle. However, last year the salary cap was at 255 million, and this year it is 279. If we are conservative and set next year’s cap at 299, the required cap-to-cash spending will be 749.7 million. Right now, the Cardinals spent 161 million (fifth lowest), so we can all figure out that there is a long way up to the minimum requirement in 2026, and thus, the bottom line is that they need to spend more money soon.
If teams don’t meet the required amount, they will have to pay to the NFLPA the difference between that and what they have actually paid, so it is not like Bidwill is saving the money if he doesn’t spend it on the team.
3 – You are in trouble when your primary edge rusher is Baron Browning, but he would be good to re-sign and have as a rotational player. I also feel that it would be uncharacteristic for Ossenfort to simply give away a sixth-round pick for only eight games.
4 – I would go all in on signing Darius Slayton at wide receiver. Yeah, I know that it doesn’t feel like the sexiest free agency approach, but I think he would unlock several things with the offense. First, he is a good WR. Second, he can really stretch field, opening up things for Harrison, McBride, et al. Third, he would open up the playbook more for Petzing, play call-wise.
5 – It is very important that they re-sign Roy Lopez. Not only has he become a more than serviceable player, but he is also the only one they have of that type, and in Gannon’s defense, that type is crucial. I am very surprised that they haven’t extended him yet.
6 – A signing of Josh Sweat is so logical, that I feel fairly confident that it will not happen.
7 – They should address the offensive line through free agency rather than the draft, because I think the draft resources need to be spent on defense for the most (and most valuable) part.
The problem is that offensive linemen always get overpaid in free agency, so some team will surely offer big signing bonuses for the most attractive players. That is the main reason that you want to build your offensive line through the draft, but that might not be possible this year, as I just mentioned.
Obviously, we don’t know what the situation around Jonah Williams is, but if he is in fact ready for the season, I would be surprised if they brought in a direct replacement. Thus, I think that RG potentially is the only open position, and I could easily see them bringing Hernandez back to take that spot. I think he played well before he got injured. And what about Evan Brown? Is he out? Jon Gaines, who Justin Frye coached at UCLA, could be another option.
I could see Ossenfort target OT Isaiah Wynn, whom he was highly involved in drafting in the first round when he was in New England. Wynn has been injured a lot the last two seasons, but I could see him being a low cost-above average option for both RG and RT.
8 – They just hired Matt Feeney as the new outside linebacker-coach, and he was with the Raiders during Malcolm Koonce’s breakout season in 2023. That season Feeney was working as a defensive quality control coach, so basically he was breaking down Koonce’s game film on a daily basis, and trust me, that was some impressive film. Then Koonce’s knee exploded last season, so he never became the star he was destined to be opposite Maxx Crosby. That obviously gives some worries in bringing him in, but the pass rush was so bad last season that they should just keep taking swings at players that can catch the quarterback.
9 – I have lost faith in Murray’s stability, and I believe that he will never lead the Cards to a championship. I do understand, however, that he is the guy for at least one more year, so instead I am hoping they will bring in a better backup than Clayton Tune. I have been advocating for Justin Fields going back to the last offseason, as I truly believe he can become a franchise quarterback, or at the very least push Murray to the fullest.
10 – I think that edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence will be a phenomenal signing for some team. He was great in 2023, and before he got injured early last season, he had three sacks in four games for Gannon’s mentor and Godfather, Mike Zimmer. Maybe Gannon has made a little call to Zimmer?
11 – I am not satisfied with Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas as the primary outside CBs. They should be rotational pieces at the most. Hopefully Melton will continue the positive trajectory from the end of last season, but I don’t know if Elijah Jones can step up enough to take the other side.
Ossenfort was a big voice with the Titans when they drafted CB Kristian Fulton in the second round. Now Fulton just played the best season of his career with the Chargers. Does Ossenfort strike?
You also wonder if they could go after CB Benjamin St-Juste, who their new defensive line-coach played together with for one year at the University of Minnesota, and who had his best season with Cristian Garcia (the Cards’ new ILB coach) as the assistant DB coach in Washington.
Fulton is probably the better fit.
12 – I have been driving the Dennis Gardeck bandwagon from the moment he was brought in as a UDFA – maybe making a reader or two (or 100) roll their eyes throughout many columns – so I feel like it would be appropriate that I salute him and wish him the best in the future, if his and the Cards’ roads does in fact go separate ways here. And they probably should, to be honest.
13 – Speaking of Matt Feeney (well, in thought #8), he spent last season as the assistant DB-coach with the Raiders, and I can’t help but thinking if the Cards might replace Jalen Thompson with Tre’von Moehrig. I actually think that Thompson has been underrated for some seasons, but Moehrig has become a stud with Feeney’s help. Keep in mind that safety-play is essential in Gannon’s system (which is one of the reasons it is hilarious when people criticize extending Budda Baker, but that’s obviously another story), so even though they drafted Taylor-Demerson, having three or four quality safeties is not at all too many.
14 – Of players I have not mentioned, I would bring back Matt Prater, Aaron Brewer, Evan Brown, Joey Blount, Jesse Luketa and Kyzir White.
15 – You can’t make a column like this without mentioning Haason Reddick, so here it is.
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This is another example of why I (and several other posters) have been saying for years that the salary cap doesn’t limit any team at all. And it will continue to increase year after year, and most likely even more when Netflix and other actors enter the TV bidding war.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Look up how the Eagles do it, for example. They backload all their players’ contracts, pushing money into the future budget, because they know that the cap will increase again and again. They are certainly not the only team that does this, but I think they are just a very good example right after having won it all.
Obviously, Bidwill will excuse the Cards’ shortcomings by pointing to salary cap restrictions (and Ossenfort have to follow orders), because he knows very well that fans will believe him, but the reality is that teams that don’t take advantage of the possibilities are either cheap or don’t understand the system.
2 – Now, after thought #1, let me also explain why the salary cap is not totally meaningless for this year’s free agency (and in general): likely for the opposite reasons of what you think about the salary cap.
There are rules that specify how much each team is required to pay in cash, and that amount is dependent on the salary cap. Specifically, any team must spend 90% of the accumulated salary cap amount after a three-year period. This period started in 2024, so it runs through 2026, and thus, we don’t yet know how much the Cards need to have spent at the end of this three-year cycle. However, last year the salary cap was at 255 million, and this year it is 279. If we are conservative and set next year’s cap at 299, the required cap-to-cash spending will be 749.7 million. Right now, the Cardinals spent 161 million (fifth lowest), so we can all figure out that there is a long way up to the minimum requirement in 2026, and thus, the bottom line is that they need to spend more money soon.
If teams don’t meet the required amount, they will have to pay to the NFLPA the difference between that and what they have actually paid, so it is not like Bidwill is saving the money if he doesn’t spend it on the team.
3 – You are in trouble when your primary edge rusher is Baron Browning, but he would be good to re-sign and have as a rotational player. I also feel that it would be uncharacteristic for Ossenfort to simply give away a sixth-round pick for only eight games.
4 – I would go all in on signing Darius Slayton at wide receiver. Yeah, I know that it doesn’t feel like the sexiest free agency approach, but I think he would unlock several things with the offense. First, he is a good WR. Second, he can really stretch field, opening up things for Harrison, McBride, et al. Third, he would open up the playbook more for Petzing, play call-wise.
5 – It is very important that they re-sign Roy Lopez. Not only has he become a more than serviceable player, but he is also the only one they have of that type, and in Gannon’s defense, that type is crucial. I am very surprised that they haven’t extended him yet.
6 – A signing of Josh Sweat is so logical, that I feel fairly confident that it will not happen.
7 – They should address the offensive line through free agency rather than the draft, because I think the draft resources need to be spent on defense for the most (and most valuable) part.
The problem is that offensive linemen always get overpaid in free agency, so some team will surely offer big signing bonuses for the most attractive players. That is the main reason that you want to build your offensive line through the draft, but that might not be possible this year, as I just mentioned.
Obviously, we don’t know what the situation around Jonah Williams is, but if he is in fact ready for the season, I would be surprised if they brought in a direct replacement. Thus, I think that RG potentially is the only open position, and I could easily see them bringing Hernandez back to take that spot. I think he played well before he got injured. And what about Evan Brown? Is he out? Jon Gaines, who Justin Frye coached at UCLA, could be another option.
I could see Ossenfort target OT Isaiah Wynn, whom he was highly involved in drafting in the first round when he was in New England. Wynn has been injured a lot the last two seasons, but I could see him being a low cost-above average option for both RG and RT.
8 – They just hired Matt Feeney as the new outside linebacker-coach, and he was with the Raiders during Malcolm Koonce’s breakout season in 2023. That season Feeney was working as a defensive quality control coach, so basically he was breaking down Koonce’s game film on a daily basis, and trust me, that was some impressive film. Then Koonce’s knee exploded last season, so he never became the star he was destined to be opposite Maxx Crosby. That obviously gives some worries in bringing him in, but the pass rush was so bad last season that they should just keep taking swings at players that can catch the quarterback.
9 – I have lost faith in Murray’s stability, and I believe that he will never lead the Cards to a championship. I do understand, however, that he is the guy for at least one more year, so instead I am hoping they will bring in a better backup than Clayton Tune. I have been advocating for Justin Fields going back to the last offseason, as I truly believe he can become a franchise quarterback, or at the very least push Murray to the fullest.
10 – I think that edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence will be a phenomenal signing for some team. He was great in 2023, and before he got injured early last season, he had three sacks in four games for Gannon’s mentor and Godfather, Mike Zimmer. Maybe Gannon has made a little call to Zimmer?
11 – I am not satisfied with Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas as the primary outside CBs. They should be rotational pieces at the most. Hopefully Melton will continue the positive trajectory from the end of last season, but I don’t know if Elijah Jones can step up enough to take the other side.
Ossenfort was a big voice with the Titans when they drafted CB Kristian Fulton in the second round. Now Fulton just played the best season of his career with the Chargers. Does Ossenfort strike?
You also wonder if they could go after CB Benjamin St-Juste, who their new defensive line-coach played together with for one year at the University of Minnesota, and who had his best season with Cristian Garcia (the Cards’ new ILB coach) as the assistant DB coach in Washington.
Fulton is probably the better fit.
12 – I have been driving the Dennis Gardeck bandwagon from the moment he was brought in as a UDFA – maybe making a reader or two (or 100) roll their eyes throughout many columns – so I feel like it would be appropriate that I salute him and wish him the best in the future, if his and the Cards’ roads does in fact go separate ways here. And they probably should, to be honest.
13 – Speaking of Matt Feeney (well, in thought #8), he spent last season as the assistant DB-coach with the Raiders, and I can’t help but thinking if the Cards might replace Jalen Thompson with Tre’von Moehrig. I actually think that Thompson has been underrated for some seasons, but Moehrig has become a stud with Feeney’s help. Keep in mind that safety-play is essential in Gannon’s system (which is one of the reasons it is hilarious when people criticize extending Budda Baker, but that’s obviously another story), so even though they drafted Taylor-Demerson, having three or four quality safeties is not at all too many.
14 – Of players I have not mentioned, I would bring back Matt Prater, Aaron Brewer, Evan Brown, Joey Blount, Jesse Luketa and Kyzir White.
15 – You can’t make a column like this without mentioning Haason Reddick, so here it is.
