Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur at the podium, giving his opening remarks in his introductory press conference.
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The Cardinals have assembled their three coordinators for the 2026 season after retaining Nick Rallis (DC) and hiring Michael Ghobrial (STC).
The Arizona Cardinals, coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, have a long offseason ahead of them. First-year coach Mike LaFleur and incumbent general manager Monti Ossenfort have work to do to improve the team during free agency and the draft.
The Cardinals’ roster is currently immensely flawed, with a lot of turnover expected.
The Arizona Republic’s Theo Mackie put together the Cardinals’ top offseason needs, and some fits at each mentioned position.
What Is the Arizona Cardinals’ Biggest Need?
The most important and top offseason need for Arizona is fairly obvious. With the Kyler Murray situation souring, quarterback will be the Cardinals‘ biggest need.
Murray has dealt with injuries throughout his career. When healthy, the results have been heavily mixed.
Murray was benched early in the 2025 season, effectively ending his season. Jacoby Brissett, while a viable backup, wasn’t much better, going 1-11 in his 12 starts.
At the most important position in the NFL, it’s no surprise that this will be the top priority for Ossenfort.
With the Cardinals highly likely to move on from Murray, as well as Brissett entering his contract year, the Cardinals must find a long-term solution soon.
Unfortunately, this is an offseason without a true alpha at the quarterback position, whether it’s via free agency or the draft. While a surprise trade for a franchise quarterback is conceivable, it’s not likely.
What Are Arizona’s Options in Free Agency/Trade?
Arizona’s options for a long-term answer at the position are better in free agency than in the draft, if only due to some proven talent with more upside.
Malik Willis is more than likely the top free agent fit for Arizona, according to Mackie. While unsuccessful in his first couple of years with the Tennessee Titans, Willis found a niche for himself as the Green Bay Packers‘ backup to Jordan Love.
Willis, in relief of Love (three starts), threw for six touchdowns and no interceptions in two seasons with Green Bay.
His dual-threat ability and youth (age-27 season) make for an intriguing signing.
Kirk Cousins is the next best free agent quarterback. After signing a megadeal with the Atlanta Falcons, Cousins was released and will join a new team in 2026.
While he brings experience, his two-year tenure with Atlanta was very underwhelming, throwing just 28 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in 22 starts before being benched in favor of Michael Penix Jr.
Entering his age-38 season, Cousins is more of a short-term stopgap than a long-term solution.
Philadelphia Eagles backup Tanner McKee is an option via trade, but with two career NFL starts, the sample size may not be enough for Ossenfort and company.
Quarterbacks in the Draft for Arizona
Owning the No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft, Arizona will miss out on top quarterback prospect Fernando Mendoza. Outside of him, there may not be a single quarterback worthy of a first-round pick.
This makes the situation tough for Arizona. Day 2 of the NFL Draft may have some intriguing options, but it’s not likely Arizona will bank its future on one of those guys.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier are the next highly-regarded options, but this is a weak quarterback draft class.
Getting the quarterback position right is paramount for Arizona. However, it may not be fixed this offseason with the lack of talent available.