Ahead of his fourth offseason with the club, Arizona Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort is officially on the clock. Following the dismissal of head coach Jonathan Gannon, Ossenfort rightfully inherits the baggage that comes with a three-year run that has seen Arizona notch just 15 victories.
While new head coach Mike LaFleur has been busy assembling a suddenly impressive coaching staff, Ossenfort has been lying in wait for a two-month period that could inevitably decide his fate as the Cardinals GM. This upcoming Monday represents the start of the new-league-year, and an opportunity for Ossenfort to begin reshaping an Arizona roster that managed to lose 14 of their last 15 games in 2025.
Ossenfort, who openly prefers the draft-and-develop approach to team building, has experienced a mixed bag of results when it comes to free agency. Back in 2023, months after securing the position, Ossenfort mainly used the offseason to strip the Cardinals for parts. While the strategy was largely applauded given the roster mismanaged done by prior GM Steve Keim, Cardinals fans did have to swallow a DeAndre Hopkins release coupled with the departures of DT Zach Allen and CB Byron Murphy.
The home-grown duo would go on to have great success with new franchises, earning numerous Pro Bowl honors in the process. To date, Ossenfort has yet to secure an external acquisition that has netted such honors.
Then came the infamous 2024 free agency period, one that was teased as an opportunity for the Cardinals to “go for it”. Instead, what transpired were a series of signings and transactions that rival any of Keim’s worst moves as a team executive. From defensive tackles Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and return specialist DeeJay Dallas, it was a bombardment of overpaid journeymen that was capped off by the signing of former first-round tackle Jonah Williams.
The initial tab for the five free agents was just north of $115 million dollars, with each player having since fallen out of favor with the franchise. The Cardinals, who began the 2024 campaign a surprising 6-4, were largely let down during the back-half of the season (2-5) thanks to poor depth and overall talent.
As brutal as that free agency period was for Ossenfort, there have been some wins to highlight during his tenure. Hldjate Froholdt, who was an afterthought in Cleveland, has blossomed into a top 10 center after his 2023 arrival in the desert. Mack Wilson Sr., when healthy, remains an impact player on an otherwise floundering Cardinals defense. And then there’s pass rusher Josh Sweat, who outperformed his $19.1 million per season salary thanks to a career best 12 sacks in 2025.
As it stands now, Ossenfort is looking at roughly a 2-1 ratio of free agent busts compared to quality contributors added in Arizona. The figure would be less daunting if the fourth-year GM’s draft classes weren’t also a complete mixed bag. For the few quality contributors like Paris Johnson Jr. and Michael Wilson, there are far too many misses such as Darius Robinson and B.J. Ojulari.
Bottom line is that the Cardinals have not drafted well enough during Ossenfort’s tenure to continue to sit idly by during free agency. Say what you will about Keim, but he did manage to engineer some franchise defining moves during the month of March including the blockbuster trades for DeAndre Hopkins and Chandler Jones. To date, Ossenfort has yet to make an impact free agent trade. Instead, the GM appears much more comfortable navigating the bargain bin while securing the likes of Desmond Ridder and Joshua Dobbs.
Which brings us to the present and the mounting pressure facing Arizona’s top personnel man. Barring a miracle, Ossenfort will be forced to release quarterback Kyler Murray which will result in more than $50-million-dollars in dead cap for 2026. While he himself carries no responsibility for Murray’s original deal, he is now tasked with the near-impossible feat of pivoting toward a competent QB solution for 2026.
While many local and national pundits push for another lost season in hopes of securing a top pick in the QB rich 2027 draft, Ossenfort isn’t afforded such a luxury. With two of his three seasons netting the franchise four or less wins, the Arizona Cardinals must show some kind of promise this fall or Ossenfort will suffer the same fate as Gannon.
Which means there is no “Tank for Manning” campaign happening over on Hardy Drive in Tempe. Instead, there’s likely a flurry of options plastered on a whiteboard as the Cardinals weigh every possible scenario for securing this season’s signal-caller. Veteran Jacoby Brissett remains on the active roster despite calls from opposing teams checking in on his potential availability. While Brissett performed admirably in 2025, he’s also tied to the 1-11 finish under center that landed the Cardinals the third-overall pick in next month’s draft.
Fair or not, Brissett was signed a year ago to backup Kyler Murray. Ossenfort does not possess the kind of credibility to sell an already irate group of Cardinal fans on the notion that the 33-year-old is suddenly poised to lead the club under new head coach Mike LaFleur. If Brissett remains on the roster through free agency, he needs to do so in the role that Ossenfort initially envisioned for him last season.
As a backup.
The free agent pool of quarterbacks has been discussed at nauseam with differing levels of barf-bags associated to each candidate. The most intriguing option, by a mile, remains 27-year-old Malik Willis of the Green Bay Packers. At this point, what more can be said about Willis and his ties not only to Ossenfort, but to LaFleur and new Arizona Cardinals OC Nathaniel Hackett. While initial reports suggested the former third-rounder could secure upwards of $30-million-dollars per season, the general consensus come Monday is that he’ll garner something closer to that of Justin Field’s 2-year, $40-million-dollar contract from a season ago.
is it malik willis or bust for arizona cardinals gm monti ossenfort?
Should Mike LaFleur be given the thumbs up by big brother Matt that Malik Willis can generate enough excitement and promise for the down-and-out Cardinals, Ossenfort must do everything in his power to secure him. Yet, if Ossenfort manages to be outmaneuvered by the cash-strapped Miami Dolphins for Willis’s services, then let it serve as a reminder that owner Michael Bidwill should have made sweeping changes beyond just Gannon last January.
Similar to where the Arizona Cardinals stood circa 2023, the Miami Dolphins aren’t coming into this offseason with serious expectations to produce. The same thing cannot be said for Ossenfort and his .294 winning percentage. Which means any free agent quarterback acquired must make the case that they are superior to that of Brissett. That would immediately disqualify the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, Geno Smith, Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson. What’s left to choose from are coin flip upgrades like Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr, both of whom raise serious questions about their ability to navigate a full season healthy.
After freeing up an additional $10-million-dollars in cap space on Friday thanks to the release of defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, Ossenfort enters the free agency period with roughly $50 million to operate. That figure doesn’t including what feel like inevitable cuts to guard Evan Brown ($5 million) and CB Sean Murphy-Bunting ($7 million), with running back James Conner potentially waiting in the wings as well.
Why make those moves now if not for the immediate need to spend big come next week? One of the advantages for Ossenfort securing 28 drafted players during his tenure is that there are few remaining bloated contracts on the books for the club. Despite being riddled with Murray’s dead money hit, the Cardinals still possess plenty of financial flexibility to make any deal they so choose during free agency.
Yet for Ossenfort, these moves must carry immediate impact while raising the floor on an otherwise middling roster. Which means no more bargain shopping, especially at the quarterback position. Fair or not, there’s been an inherent “risk averse” mindset to Ossenfort’s tenure that’s stretches beyond his free agent approach. The fanbase has yet to forget passing on the likes of Will Anderson Jr. and Cooper DeJean in favor of mostly uneven trade-down packages.
Unlike Mike LaFleur, who has yet to coach a single game in Arizona, Monti Ossenfort’s legacy as GM of the Cardinals could be shaped (for better or worse) in the coming days.
It’s time for Monti to take a big swing.
