A season of tumult and adversity continues for the Cardinals this year as the team announced that general manager Steve Keim would be taking an indefinite leave of absence. Arizona’s announcement detailed that the absence is health-related, but due to legally required privacy, the team “will refrain from commenting further.” 
After a short career as an offensive lineman in the NFL and CFL, Keim quickly found his course in personnel. Keim joined the Cardinals’ scouting department as a regional scout in 1999 and has worked his way up the ladder, remaining with Arizona for 23 years, serving the last 10 of which as general manager.
During Keim’s tenure with the franchise, the Cardinals have booked a Super Bowl appearance, played in two NFC championship games, and secured five postseason berths. Keim took over a 5-11 Cardinals team in 2012 as GM, quickly helping to turn the team around to a 10-6 record in his first season at the helm, just missing the playoffs in a competitive NFC. They would make the playoffs the following year and lose to the Panthers in the NFC championship the year after that.
The hurdle of Keim’s absence adds to a season that started with a suspension for star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and has weathered the slump of quarterback Kyler Murray‘s fourth year that ended with a season-ending ACL tear. The team’s staff has experienced its own setbacks, as well. Formerly the Cardinals co-pass game coordinator with Cam Turner, Spencer Whipple has been serving as the team’s third running backs coach of the season following the administrative leave of James Saxon to deal with personal legal matters and the departure of his replacement, Don Shumpert, who left to pursue other opportunities. Former offensive assistant Mike Bercovici was promoted weeks ago to tight ends coach when Steve Heiden, the team’s longest-tenured assistant coach, was asked to coach the offensive line following the dismissal of Sean Kugler for a sexual harassment incident that occurred during the Cardinals’ trip to Mexico City.
This is not even Keim’s first leave of absence from the team. Keim received a five-game suspension back in 2018 after pleading guilty to extreme DUI charges. This is his first reported absence since that incident, though.
In Keim’s absence, the team will turn to vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris and vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson to fill his role on an interim basis. Harris was a defensive back for the team back in the early 2000s and has been a member of Arizona’s scouting/personnel staff since 2008. This is his second year in his current position. Wilson was a long-time star safety for the Cardinals from 2001-12, earning multiple Pro Bowl appearances and a first-team All-Pro selection. Like Harris, Wilson joined the Cardinals as a regional scout shortly after his retirement as a player and quickly rose through the ranks. He is also in the second year in his current position.
The two will take over a 4-9 Cardinals team on the brink of postseason elimination. With no word on how long Keim will be away from the team, Harris and Wilson will not only be focused on maintaining the roster for the rest of the year but also preparing for the personnel-related tasks that will immediately follow the season like the draft and free agency.
This seems like Bidwell, who is loyal to a fault, told Keim to step away rather than firing him. Wonder if this saves him from firing Kliff and giving him one more chance.
Hope it is just to save face and not a serious medical issue.
I’ve only ever heard how much of a crap gm this guy is maybe because I get my pulse on the nfl community from the commenters on this site
Well, Keim has his moments. He usually ends up grabbing some of the more sought after players in the draft, the kind that fans may hope that their team steals on the cheap. Those players almost always, however, end up misused or flaming out. Obviously he didn’t do himself any favors with his drinking history. Keim’s hires and personnel moves haven’t been resounding successes, and he gambles hard on players. The Cardinals are nowhere near the Bucs or the Rams, but they try to sign or trade for high profile veterans with mixed success (Watt, Hopkins are current examples).
It just seems overall that Keim never has complete success with anything, but makes high profile moves and somehow seems to survive any negative fallout that may come his way. I don’t know if I can identify a signature accomplishment, I can definitely identify some possible flops (Maybe the Murray reinvention, or the Kingsbury hire) and some definite failures (the Rosen situation, and the Wilks situation).
I’m guessing he’s a friend of Bill and he needs to hang closer. I hope the guy’s alright and it’s not a severe issue.
Keim’s an easy target on these boards, but life is life.
” A lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes. But you gotta do it right. I mean, you gotta have the hole already dug before you show up with a package in the trunk. Otherwise, you’re talking about a half-hour to forty-five minutes worth of digging. And who knows who’s gonna come along in that time? Pretty soon, you gotta dig a few more holes. You could be there all @#$% night.” – Joe Pesci/Casino
Is he really having health troubles or did he get a note from Urban Meyer’s doctor?
‘ I suck at my job, so before I get fired let me run away ‘ – Keim
It makes you wonder. Are all NFL front offices Jerry Springer episodes waiting to happen?
I wish Brian Cashman would the same.
Convenient.