Arizona Cardinals GM must keep wheeling and dealing unneeded talent

Call it what you will, but Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort made a pair of smart moves when he traded away safety Isaiah Simmons and tackle Josh Jones. Both players were in the final season of their respective contracts, and if they didn’t factor into the team’s long-term plans, then it was best to trade them elsewhere and get at least something for them, even if it was a measly seventh round pick. 

And this shouldn’t be the last trade Ossenfort makes regarding players in what could be their last season in the desert. Ossenfort needs to try and trade away everyone in the final year of their respective contracts if the general manager feels he can get something out of them and if they don’t factor into his long-term plans.

Arizona Cardinals GM must trade away unneeded talent

Will the seventh round pick Ossenfort got for Simmons or the fifth round pick he acquired for Jones pan out? The odds are against them, and that’s if they don’t trade the picks beforehand. But we also knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that neither Simmons nor Jones were good fits for this current Arizona Cardinals team, so it doesn’t hurt to take a chance on that seventh and fifth rounder. 

You may also ask the old, What if question. What if Simmons excels with the New York Giants, or if Josh Jones becomes an upper echelon tackle with the Houston Texans? Then fantastic, they found a system that works for them, and it wasn’t in the desert. 

So, for any Arizona Cardinals player in a contract season that hasn’t quite performed to expectations, they shouldn’t be surprised if they’re playing in a different city in the not-so-distant future. I’d rather have more acquired draft picks as opposed to letting players walk away for nothing at the end of the season, because you never know when you find a hidden gem during that final weekend in April.