Arizona Cardinals GM has got it going on
By Jim Koch
How Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim found success through solid draft choices and one year prove-it deals
The Arizona Cardinals couldn’t have known what they had. It was January, 2013 and Steve Keim was just named general manager of the club. Yes, he had been with the organization since 1999 ( when he was hired as a college scout) but what kind of GM would he be?
The Bidwills must have been thrilled when Keim was named NFL executive of the year in both 2013 and 2014, his first two years as the GM. His success was due to a combination of things, one was being able to evaluate college players, pretty much a prerequisite for a successful GM.
The second is something that Keim has shown an uncanny ability to do, it involves having to be a salesman, maybe a trait that every NFL GM doesn’t necessarily possess.
Keim has mastered something called a one year prove-it deal. It involves being able to sell himself and the Arizona Cardinals as a whole to talented, veteran players.
What that involves is basically convincing veterans to sign one year contracts, something NFL players traditionally don’t care to do because of the high risk of injury in the sport they play. The target players could be players coming off of injury or possibly ones who, for whatever reason, weren’t offered multi-year deals for amounts of money they think they deserve.
The “prove-it” part is the idea that the player gets to showcase his skills, playing for a very good Cardinals team, therefore parlaying that success into receiving a multi-year deal for the amount of money they desire the next offseason (whether that be in Arizona or someplace else).
Keim first implemented this strategy in 2013, his first year as the Cards’ GM. When head coach Bruce Arians had reservations about Bobby Massie being the starter at right tackle Keim sought out experienced veteran Eric Winston and signed him to a one year contract. Winston would start all 16 games, solidifying the Cardinals’ offensive line.
While signing Winston was a solid move Keim hit a home run when inside linebacker Karlos Dansby also accepted a one year deal. The former Cardinal put up Pro Bowl numbers, registering 122 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 4 interceptions and 2 touchdowns in 16 starts.
The success continued in 2014. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie really took advantage of the one year audition, making an appearance in the Pro Bowl and signing a big money deal with the New York Jets in the offseason. Linebacker Larry Foote was a solid contributor and leader, accumulating 83 tackles, 2 sacks and an interception during his season in the desert.
In 2015 Keim struck gold. Running back Chris Johnson rushed for over 800 yards before suffering a season-ending knee injury (He has since re-signed with the team for 2016). Edge rusher extraordinaire Dwight Freeney signed in October and recorded eight sacks in only eleven games, most on the team.
Center Lyle Sendlein and tight end Jermaine Gresham both had big roles on offense after signing for one year, Sendlein starting 15 games as the anchor of the O-line. (Gresham, like Johnson, also re-signed for the 2016 season).
Not mentioned so far in this article is the fact that Keim is also responsible for hiring Arians, who’s well on his way to becoming the greatest head coach in Cardinals’ history. The future is looking extremely bright for the Arizona Cardinals. Look no further than Steve Keim for the reason why.