Trade with NFC West rival would be a shortsighted move by the Arizona Cardinals

Agreeing to a trade that would allow an NFC West rival to obtain a franchise quarterback would be a foolish move by the Arizona Cardinals.

For quite some time now, the Arizona Cardinals have been the red-headed stepchild of the NFC West. While rest of the division has experienced varying degrees of success, the Redbirds have been to the playoffs just once since 2015. First-year general manager Monti Ossenfort will not succeed if he doesn't find a way to rise above the club's more-accomplished rivals.

For that exact reason, a recent report that the Cards would consider trading the NFL Draft's third-overall selection to the Seattle Seahawks is downright hilarious. Why in the world would Ossenfort hand Seahawks GM John Schneider a pick that would allow an adversary to land a franchise quarterback? The thought of facing a multi-talented passer like Anthony Richardson two times a season for the next decade or so can't sound appealing to Arizona defensive coordinator Nick Rallis.

Seattle, like the rest of the league, should have been completely surprised by the emergence of journeyman signal-caller Geno Smith in 2022. At the same time, the bottom could fall out at any time for the 32-year-old veteran. The Seahawks would like nothing better than to hedge their bets on Richardson, the 6 foot 4, 232 pounder who dazzled at the University of Florida's Pro Day this past week.

To make that happen, Schneider will likely have to acquire the Cardinals' third overall choice. That would mean trading up two slots for Seattle, who currently occupies the fifth spot in Round 1. Convincing Ossenfort to wheel and deal with an NFC West rival could be a problem, however.

Arizona Cardinals should field plenty of offers for the third-overall selection

The Cards should have plenty of other offers for their prized selection to even consider a deal with the Seahawks. At fourth overall, the Indianapolis Colts could be looking to move up to grab a QB. Other potential trade partners include the Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans.

There is an aspect of a potential trade with Seattle that is certainly intriguing. If a deal with Schneider was consummated, there's a very good chance that the first four picks of the 2023 draft would be signal-callers. That could lead to what many Arizona fans would consider a dream scenario for the snakebitten franchise.

Besides receiving what should be a highly-enticing package of assets from the Seahawks, the Cardinals could also potentially walk away with this year's best collegiate prospect. That happens to be none other than Will Anderson Jr., the stud edge-rusher who excelled at the University of Alabama over the past three campaigns.

While it could be highly-beneficial for the organization, the idea that Ossenfort would be helping a despised foe like Seattle obtain a stud passer would be a bit hard to stomach. It would be much more satisfying to watch Schneider and the rest of the Seahawks management start to squirm when Smith inevitably falters next fall. The Cards can contribute to that misery by ignoring any trade proposal that comes in from the Pacific Northwest over the next few weeks .

Source: NFL mock draft: After Panthers trade for No. 1, 4 quarterbacks go in top 4 picks by Ben Standig, TheAthletic.com