Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort could be under some serious pressure in 2026 in the view of The Athletic’s Doug Haller.
Haller wrote Monday how Ossenfort’s “reputation has taken a significant hit,” and he described Arizona’s decision to retain the GM as “head-scratching.”
“Fans don’t have the patience for another rebuild,” the Cardinals insider said. “Ossenfort has to figure out the QB situation, identify an immediate difference-maker with the draft’s No. 3 pick and find a way to keep Arizona competitive in football’s toughest division. What’s the plan?”
The last few seasons have been a pretty firm rebuke of Ossefort’s vision for building the team.
Arizona has a 15-36 record since he arrived in 2023. Jonathan Gannon, the head coach he hired, was shown the door in January. He inherited the Kyler Murray extension, which was signed in 2022, but hasn’t been proactive in addressing the quarterback situation as Murray increasingly doesn’t look like the guy anymore. And in general, there simply aren’t many building blocks on the roster.
The Cardinals are 31st in Bleacher Report’s early NFL power rankings for 2026.
One downside of keeping a general manager who’s perceived to be on the hot seat is that they’re incentivized to make a big splash in a trade or free agency. Should that plan backfire, it leaves a mess for the next GM to clean up.
It’s probably not a playoff-or-bust kind of season for Ossenfort. Especially in a division as deep as the NFC West, everyone can see the Cardinals aren’t good enough.
But the front office may have to show something tangible in the way of progress to ensure it remains intact in 2027.