The Arizona Cardinals are going to have a slew of decisions to make this offseason, so let’s talk about the most difficult ones of the bunch.
If you thought the Arizona Cardinals issues stopped with trying to figure out who the head coach should be, you’re wrong. Who should be the head coach is just the tip of a larger iceberg.
Instead, the Cardinals have a slew of issues they need to figure out, and below, we will talk about five difficult decisions they must make this offseason. A few of these issues you will see coming, but others may catch you by surprise.
They range from what to do with DeAndre Hopkins to whether they should hold onto the third overall pick or trade down in the NFL Draft to accumulate more draft picks. And finally, what should they do at quarterback? Let’s take a deeper look.
1 – Do the Arizona Cardinals trade DeAndre Hopkins?
Of course, there are many upsides and downsides to this polarizing topic. Let’s start with why the Arizona Cardinals would be wise to trade Hopkins. For one, trading the 30-year-old would still generate at the absolute least an early second round pick, but more likely a late first.
Since Hopkins is still entrenched in his prime, you can expect a team looking to contend for the Lombardi next season to call up Monti Ossenfort. Ossenfort could probably get a few mid-to-late-round bonuses for Hopkins, and that would accrue the Cardinals more picks.
The downside? While trading Hopkins would free up between $8.1 and $14.9 million in 2023, depending on whether he’s traded before or after June 1st, it would also cost them between $11.3 and $22.6 million in dead money, again, depending if the potential trade happened before or after June 1st.
As you can see, there are numerous pros and cons to trading Hopkins. This is an issue the Cardinals will need to address sooner than later.
2 – Sign a starting caliber quarterback?
With Kyler Murray potentially missing some time in the regular season, all eyes turn to the quarterback position. I offered my own take on potential quarterbacks the Arizona Cardinals could sign in place of Murray, but none of the names are bona-fide starters.
Of course, there are potential long-term starter options out there like Jimmy Garoppolo, who likely won’t be back in San Francisco. But you can see the issue here. If the Cardinals sign a stopgap, someone like Jacoby Brissett, Murray will have his job back when he returns.
Sign someone like Garoppolo, the Cardinals could have a long-term solution at starting quarterback if he picks up where he left off before his injury in San Francisco. But where would that leave Murray, who, at this point at least, I’m assuming the Redbirds will try to build around this offseason.
3 – Stand pat or trade down in the NFL Draft
Clearly, if the Arizona Cardinals stay at the third overall pick, they will land a dynamic player like Will Anderson Jr. But as it stands, they only have five draft picks, so trading down would be huge if they are interested in attaining more draft capital.
The upside? The Cardinals may have some compensatory picks coming their way. And as mentioned earlier, if they trade Hopkins and take the $22.6 million hit in dead cap space, they will accumulate at least one more draft pick.
But if the Redbirds attain fewer compensatory picks and keep Hopkins around, Ossenfort will have yet another decision to make. Stay at the third overall pick and go with the quality over quantity bet, or vice-versa? This is one we probably won’t know until draft day.
4 – Re-sign Kelvin Beachum?
With so much roster turnover coming to the desert, the Arizona Cardinals must decide who to keep and who to let go. Kelvin Beachum is one polarizing name since, despite enjoying a phenomenal year in 2022, he will also be 34 when the 2023 season rolls around, and the Cards want to get younger.
Of course, Beachum has his backers, and he played well enough to obtain a payday. But given his age, should the Cardinals invest in such an old player when part of the point regarding this regime change is to get younger?
Right now, I’m torn on whether I want Beachum back. He would be a great stopgap, but if he wants more cash and a long-term contract, the situation in the desert probably isn’t the best place for him.
He’s one of those players who would serve the team well, but for how long? I mean, look at what the Cardinals went through with Rodney Hudson this year. That could be a budding red flag.
5 – Decide which weaknesses to fill in free agency/the draft
When you look at the Arizona Cardinals roster, you’re going to see a lot of holes. As it stands, they need to fill the following by Week 1: QB, G, C, RT, DT, DE, Edge, CB. That’s a lot of positions to fill in one draft, especially for a team that has just five picks.
So where do the Cardinals begin? For one, we can all agree Ossenfort can sign a quarterback to replace Murray for an anticipated four to eight weeks, if not longer. We talked about Beachum possibly getting a payday, while Zach Allen and Byron Murphy can re-sign with the Redbirds at defensive end and corner.
But after that, it gets hazy. The Cardinals lack dynamic edge rushers, they need a center, two guards, and if they trade Hopkins, you can even add wide receiver to that list. So who do you turn to in free agency to add as a patchwork fix and which positions do you try to find long-term solutions for in the draft?
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