Arizona Cardinals: Ranking GM Steve Keim’s 10 best transactions

10. Signing Mike Iupati

After going to the Pro-Bowl three-times as a San Francisco 49er, Keim and Co. lured the talented Mike Iupati down to the desert. The guard wasn’t everything that Keim and Cardinals hoped he would be, but he did provide the team with high-level offensive line play during the time they needed it most.

Keim brought out the Brinks trunk to secure Iupati’s services. The deal to get came in the form of a five-year, $40 million contract. Luckily, that pricey investment immediately paid off as the guard was named as a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in his first season as a Cardinal.

In Iupati’s next season as Cardinal, he started 13 games and continued to provide solid play protecting a slew of quarterbacks. However, this transaction ultimately falls to ten because after his first two years, Iupati struggled mightily to stay healthy. From 2017 to 2018, the guard played in just 11 regular seasons.

With that being said, the signing could still best be described as a win. Keim added the best offensive lineman in the 2015 free agent crop and it immediately showed good results on a competitive team. Although Iupati is now on the rival Seattle Seahawks, two outstanding years of play helped the team greatly.