Cardinals' reported season opener could be best-case scenario

Arizona reportedly will oepn season at New Orleans, which has an inexperienced quarterback room
New Orleans Saints v Arizona Cardinals
New Orleans Saints v Arizona Cardinals | Norm Hall/GettyImages

The Arizona Cardinals reportedly will open the season on the road, at the New Orleans Saints.

The news was reported by Nick Underhill, a journalist based in New Orleans who writes for NewOrleans.Football.

The NFL will release its 2025 schedule at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday. Already, the league has released some marquee games. Until the schedule is released, expect leaks about the matchups.

This will be the third consecutive season Arizona has begun the season with a road game.

Opening with the Saints could be a best-case scenario for the Cardinals. New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr announced his retirement this week, so the Saints’ quarterback room includes rookie Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Rattler, who is from Phoenix Pinnacle High School, has six NFL starts. Haener has started one NFL game.

With such an inexperienced quarterback group, expect the Saints to sign a veteran. Still, this could be an excellent matchup for the Cardinals’ revamped defense overall and pass rush specifically.

The Cardinals’ other road opponents:

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dallas Cowboys

Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals’ home games:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tennessee Titans

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks