ROTB Challenge: You pick ’em.
PHNX’s Johnny Venerable and Bo Brock issued their listings of the 5 best and worst moves that Cardinals’ GM Monti Ossenfort has made over the past 2 1⁄2 years.
With three offseasons in the books, what is Monti Ossenfort’s legacy as Arizona Cardinals GM? pic.twitter.com/dOnxxF9X6a
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) June 6, 2025
What I appreciate most about what Johnny and Bo do at PHNX is how they generate consistently provocative points of discussion. Like this meaningful one. Thank you PHNX!
ROTB Challenge:
What do you believe are MO’s 5 best and most questionable moves to date?
Here are mine:
MO’s 5 Best Moves:
- Realizing that Budda Baker and James Conner are the “heart and soul” alpha leaders of the football team.
- Re-signing two emerging alphas in Trey McBride and Hjalte Froholt to long-term deals.
- Finding a way to minimize Michael Bidwill’s involvement and influence in the NFL Draft, taking what appears to be full control of the decision-making process and execution in year 3. It took 3 years, but at least there has been a breakthrough in this regard.
- Again, in year 3, adding much needed star power to a defense that he had woefully neglected for over 2 years.
- Acquiring smaller scale free agent and waiver wire gems in players like Blake Gillikin, Chad Ryland, Joey Blount, Elijah Higgins, Emari Demercado, Starling Thomas V, while making a very good mid-season trade in 2024 for Barron Browning.
MO’s 5 Most Questionable Moves:
- Ever letting Dan Quinn leave the building after his 2nd interview for head coach.
- Breaking NFL tampering rules during the Super Bowl prep weeks.
- Hitching the entire organization’s wagon to Kyler Murray from the get-go and as a new GM, focusing his first two years of moves far more toward the offense than the defense.
- Creating a strong impression that the Cardinals were willing and even eager to tank games in 2023.
- Allowing the video of what should have been confidential, privileged 2023 draft trade negotiations with Texans’ GM Nick Caserio to go public and subsequently viral.
Note: It appears that Monti Ossenfort is now trying to make up for past mistakes and lost time. Thanks in large part him, the current buzz around the Cardinals is very positive. The question is no longer an issue of talent, it is whether his decision to allow Jonathan Gannon to hire the youngest, least experienced coaching staff in the NFL was acceptable, or not.
Johnny Venerable in his broadcast on the topic alluded to this:
Patrick Donoghue’s (NBC Sports) 2025 GM Rankings
20. Monti Ossenfort, Cardinals
The only thing worse than not having a franchise quarterback is maybe having a franchise quarterback. Monti Ossenfort was hired in January 2023. He has spent the intervening 28 months waiting on Kyler Murray. First, to get healthy. Second, to maybe finally take the next step. Murray started every game last season for the first time since 2020 and … conducted a shot-for-shot remake of his rookie-year stats from 2019. The next level probably isn’t coming, but Murray still has guaranteed money through the 2026 season. That deal was organized by Ossenfort’s predecessor. Now all he can do is continue to wait. He has done so with limited free agent forays — Josh Sweat notwithstanding — and draft pick stockpiling. The Cardinals have made 28 picks in three years on Ossenfort’s watch, trading down for extra capital six times in three springs, including five times between 2023-24. Ossenfort made fewer than nine selections for the first time this year, though he still made at least one pick in all seven rounds. That’s quaint, old-fashioned team-building. Even in the NFL, patience tends to be a virtue. Forcing solutions is how you end up trading for Deshaun Watson or drafting Kenny Pickett. But Ossenfort is nevertheless in a position where his lack of action could result in his 2026 firing if Murray remains mired in mediocrity. That’s not fair. It’s also how things have always worked around here.
Your reactions?
By the way, Patrick’s rankings of other GMs in the NFC West:
3. Sean McVay/Les Snead —- Rams
7. Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch —- 49ers
9. John Schneider —- Seahawks
Your turn: What do you believe are Monti’s Top 5 Best and Most Questionable Moves?