The Cardinals are expected to part ways with longtime GM Steve Keim this offseason, as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. Keim recently took an indefinite leave of absence from the team due to an undisclosed health-related matter.
Vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris and vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson are presently sharing Keim’s duties on an interim basis, and Jones says both men are legitimate candidates to be promoted to general manager this offseason. Harris enjoyed a six-year playing career that began in Arizona before becoming a Cardinals scout in 2008, and he has been working his way up the personnel ladder ever since. Wilson left more of an on-field legacy, as he played in the NFL for 13 seasons — 12 as a member of the Cardinals — and earned five Pro Bowl nods during that time.
Wilson, 43, was inducted into Arizona’s Ring of Honor in 2015, the same year he began working for the team as a regional scout. His ascent has been more rapid than that of the 45-year-old Harris, though it appears both execs will have a chance to lead a club’s front office sooner rather than later. The Giants interviewed Wilson and Harris during their GM search earlier this year, and it was reported that the Jaguars nearly hired Wilson as general manager.
While Wilson and Harris are well-respected around the league, Jones’ sources wonder if Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill will choose to look outside the organization to replace Keim. Since Buddy Ryan left his post as Arizona’s head coach/general manager in 1995, the club’s next three GMs — Bob Ferguson, Rod Graves, and Keim — have all been promoted from within.
Of course, Bidwill could also be looking for a new head coach this offseason. Kliff Kingsbury, who was hired in 2019, has compiled a 28-33-1 record to date, and a report detailing his uncertain job security surfaced last month. While some of the factors that have played a role in the Cardinals’ 2022 struggles are beyond Kingsbury’s control — WR DeAndre Hopkins‘ six-game PED ban, QB Kyler Murray‘s ACL tear, etc. — his play-calling and game-planning have been frequently criticized. Bidwill would have to eat a great deal of money by cutting ties with Keim and Kingsbury, as he elected to hand both men thru-2027 extensions back in March, but he may feel he has no other choice.
Some good news for Cardinals fans is that Murray’s ACL tear is a clean one, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Murray is expected to begin training camp on the PUP list and will have a realistic chance of taking the field for the 2023 regular season opener.
The guy drafted Josh Rosen. Never forget
Rosen was never given a proper chance to develop, plus scouts were hung up on Murray’s 5’10 frame and the cardinals followed suit. It was ownership that pulls the strings I’m sure
Rosen has played for every team in the league it seems. If he were any good, someone would have figured it out
Congrats everyone you got your wish merry Xmas
Should have been fired after his DUI.. glad he didn’t kill anyone but he fired his OLine coach for “touching”. Guys a d-bag all the way around!
Right, you’ve never made a small mistake in your life. Driving drunk and sexual assault are a little different.
DUI isn’t a small mistake.
Yes, you’re correct I’ve never made those “small” mistakes either.. I’m also not a GM of a NFL team.. I live in my “small” world but doesn’t mean my perspective on him isn’t spot on.. go troll elsewhere
Driving drunk is OK if you seek absolution by putting money in the red bucket to make it right.
Umm isn’t his health issue that he was the one that groped in Mexico? Or is that just a rumor given that they are both bald white dudes with goatees? The dude filed a wrongful dismissal suite and right away this guy goes on leave.
Exact same day lol wrongful termination and “mistaken identity” neither DUI or assault are ok and there will never be a valid excuse… but if this clown let Kugler take the fall for his happy hands then I hope they karate chop his ass right to the unemployable line! Really shouldn’t have got this far.. after the DUI he should have fired… weak ass owner as well.. dudes a dunce
Something interesting to consider. Steve Keim leaves quietly with games left in the season. Coach Kugler just came out and said it wasn’t him who groped a security guard in Mexico City. He infadicly states this, asking for NFL arbitraration. He states in a news article “Possible mistaken identity”. Take a look at a picture of Steve Keim and Sean Kugler.
Anybody else sound out infadicly for about 5 minutes until they realized it’s supposed to be emphatically?
Also a new “arbitraration” policy in the NFL
Just did. Bullseye. Wow.
I agree that the wrong guy got fired. if you do a search, Keim announced his “health related” issue the same day Kugler’s legal team announced their insistence on arbitration for wrongful termination. I dont think that’s a coincidence at all. And the cards know it and are cutting bait as well as getting ready to pay Kugler some cash for wrongful termination
Cardinals are a dumpster fire. Worse move they made was drafting of Kyler Murray. Gimmick QB who relied on speed in college. Sorry, in the NFL there are LB’s who run a 4.4 40. Not the same as college when only a handful of players per team who run a 4.5.
You could tell right from the beginning the Coach /QB dynamic wasn’t going to work long term, and it hasn’t.
Good luck with the future especially with the massive long term contract given to Murray..
Murray could have been playing shortstop for Oakland the last few years. I wonder how that would have worked out.
Would of never sniffed the money he got as a QB
I wasn’t sold on Murray let alone #1, but as I watched his throws, he has an arm he moved well to get space to throw. but I think there also has been a lack of adapting and maturing of the playcalls. its like their playbook in season 1/2 was the whole arsenal. so instead of having an offensive system that grows, matures, eventually other skilled positions can get general play but adapt to the defense on the fly. they just have 10 pages of plays and thats it.
I will say that contract last off-season was head scratching and its like they did it just to not look bad having picked 2 QBs.
I read somewhere today that the 32 teams have spent over $800m on throw away contracts for former HC’s, their staff, and front office people! Over 4-5 years, short time span. The Giants are paying 2 former HC’s & Brian as 1 example.
The NFL has a license to print money.
That’s still no reason to waste $800M on front office and coaching staffs that are bloated to ridiculous extremes. There are better ways to use that money.
Absolutely, they can hire and fire me!
We couldn’t afford to lose you in the forum arty!
Nepotism isn’t cheap.
Nepatism is when You hire a family member. grow up
Lots of money to go around. Coaching salaries are not part of the salary cap so any money spent here which creates additional wins or earns a playoff slot pays itself off multiple times.
Coaching salary is an investment not an expense. Of course there are crazy situations like the Urban Meyer contract. Jon Gruden’s Raiders contract was over-the-top as well. Rotating two year renewals would make a lot more sense than these five year renewals.
Normally there are clauses when they get new coaching jobs the team is off the hook.
Urban Meyer and Matt rhule are not getting paid they had clauses where the team was off the book completely outside of the year
That’s good to hear.
The offset language reads just like the players. The new team can pay the league minimum, and leave the old team on the hook for the bulk. What Belichick is doing with Judge and Patricia.
The offset agreement also only applies to NFL coaching jobs. If someone goes to college or media, they can double dip.
That sounds more like reality. Owners should reconsider these five-seven-ten year guaranteed contracts. There’s just a few coaches in the league who’ve been at the same train stop for ten years or more (Belichick, Tomlin, Carroll come to mind).
Even Super Bowl winners Doug Pedersen and Ron Rivera are working elsewhere just a few years later.
Unfortunate it had to happen with health reasons, but glad he’s finally gone! Didn’t think this day would come with his extension
So he’s getting fired over a health issue. Ahhh ok.
Pretty sure he’s getting fired for being bad and this is Keim’s way of trying to make it seem like he can’t really keep going anyway.
NFL sends a memo telling teams about wasting money on firing coaches and execs and the Cardinals are like “lol so?”
He could be king pin as his next career
They need to go outside the organization for their new GM and HC. Get some fresh ideas. Maybe try to find someone to develop Murray into a QB worth even a fraction of the contract they gave him. Tho, I expect him to quit and run to baseball sooner than later.
The Bidwell’s haven’t found any more joy in the desert than they did in St.Louis or Chicago. Gotta wonder if the Cardinals next stop might be Mexico.
By the way the office had a mention about “legality” in reporting information in it’s first press release, it leads me to think they had an ‘at-office’ incident that was so bad he had to leave before the Arizona Cardinals could be facing liability. “Oh, and keep it quiet!”.
Gee, let me search my imagination. Could it be Seagram’s Syndrome? Probably, and it’s reached a point that a second insider reporting is offering ‘undisclosed’ information now has him not returning to the office.
I hope Keim recovers, life is short (and even sometimes precious), but this is not coverage for a genuine health issue like a cardiac arrest. Sorry.
Nnnnnext.