Steve Keim resigns as the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals
By Jim Koch
Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill is wasting no time in his search to find a replacement for the former general manager.
Roughly a month has gone by since Steve Keim took an indefinite leave of absence from the Arizona Cardinals. On Monday, the organization announced that the two-time NFL Executive of the Year is stepping away for good.
On the same day that the Cardinals relieved head coach Kliff Kingsbury of his duties, the fans also learned that Keim will no longer be the team’s general manager. The 50-year-old is giving up his position, and will instead put his energy into tackling the health issues that initially took him away from the club back in December.
Wholesale changes were certainly needed after Arizona stumbled through an ugly 4-13 campaign. That was quite a nosedive from last year, when the squad compiled an 11-6 regular-season record and made the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Keim, a longtime Cards employee, was promoted to GM back in 2013. Under the Pennsylvania native’s guidance, the Redbirds made three trips to the postseason and appeared in one NFC Championship game. Keim was lauded for several of his trade acquisitions (Carson Palmer, Chandler Jones, DeAndre Hopkins), but his inability to build the roster through the draft hampered the franchise.
Arizona Cardinals owner has begun the search for a new general manager
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill is wasting very little time in his quest to find a replacement for Keim. A pair of in-house candidates, Quentin Harris and Adrian Wilson, have already been interviewed. Bidwill has lined up meetings with several intriguing options from the exterior as well.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that Arizona has requested permission to speak with Monti Ossenfort, the director of player personnel for the Tennessee Titans. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones broke the news that Bidwill has also asked to meet with Ian Cunningham, the assistant general manager of the Chicago Bears.
There are two members of the San Francisco 49ers front office who the Cards reportedly have interest in as well. Assistant GM Adam Peters and director of pro personnel Ran Carthon are also slated to meet with Bidwill in the near future.
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Keim had more than enough time to turn the Cardinals into a winner, but ultimately failed. What the organization needs is a fresh, new perspective. Now all we can do is hope that Bidwill brings in the right man for the job.
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