Cardinals miss out on signing one of the top defensive tackles while signing two veteran offensive depth players instead
Yesterday morning when I saw the rumors that the Cardinals were on the verge of signing DT Javon Hargrave to reunite with Jonathan Gannon, Nick Rallis and Josh Sweat, to then, as the day inched along, have to watch the Vikings sign not only DT Javon Hargrave, but DT Jonathan Allen as well, it was purely agonizing.
One would think that having to live in the bitter cold of Minnesota rather than the warm sunshine of Arizona could be a deterrent to prime NFL free agents —- but boy oh boy the Vikings have something very special going on in Minnesota —- starting with the first-class way in which they treat and facilitate their players and their families —- with the players there having such an even-keeled, savvy-minded head coach —- paired with one of the most prolific defensive minds in all of football who opted to cancel a 2nd HC interview with the Cardinals to accept the Vikings’ DC job instead —- and then to have to think of the softball way in which the Cardinals coaches treated the 4th quarter of the 2024 post-bye week game with heavy playoff implications up there that for 3 3⁄4 quarters the Cardinals had every right to win —- all of it felt agonizing.
The Cardinals did not make one move on Day 2 to address their woeful defensive tackle needs —- in fact, ironically, the Detroit Lions roared in and swiped away NT Roy Lopez on a 1-year $4.6M deal —- meanwhile, the Cardinals essentially prioritized the re-singing of veteran WR Jay Jones instead at a similar $4.4M figure. Jones as WR4 caught 11 passes last year.
It’s just unbelievable to think that the Lions value Roy Lopez and the Patriots value Khyris Tonga more than the Cardinals do.
To make matters worse in my opinion —- Monti then went and gave 32-year-old QB Jacoby Brissett a 2-year $12.5M contract to be the veteran backup to Kyler Murray. While Jacoby Brissett played reasonably well as the bridge QB in CLE in 2022, despite the Browns’ vaunted defense, with Brissett at QB they went 4-7. This year as the bridge QB in NE, Brissett went 1-4 and for those of us who watched those games, he made critical 4th quarter mistakes in the 4th quarter of two home games versus the Seahawks and Dolphins where the Pats had the lead. It was a real struggle for Brissett just to avoid taking another 3-and-out.
Paying a veteran backup QB $12.5M for two years is the kind of thing a GM with a championship caliber roster with no glaring holes does.
Monti Ossenfort, with all that cap space on Day 2, is just throwing away money to veterans who won’t help the team that much and will now mean cutting his own draft picks. It’s like he doesn’t know what to do with the money. Hugely underwhelming. For example, he traded out of…
— Walter B J Mitchell (@WBJMItch) March 11, 2025
The irony is that Monti Ossenfort, if he had decided to use the $12.6M combined that he gave to two veteran offensive depth players who are likely to have a minimal impact on the team’s success this season and put it towards outbidding the field on Milton Williams, Jonathan Allen or Javon Hargrave, things would look a whole lot brighter for the Cardinals’ chances and the perception that this time around they are actually serious about winning.
And it just galls me to think that after Day 2, the Rams, having already built a formidable defensive line over the past two seasons through the draft have already jumped in and added NT Poonah Ford on a 1-year $10M contract.
It’s like Monti doesn’t know what to do with the money.
Money that for 3 years he’s been trying to build and save to finally bust a major move in free agency.
Like drafting for quantity over quality —-
Like not having a clear plan for the draft picks like the Lions, Chiefs and Rams do —- when they draft players it’s to plug and play them right away so as to accelerate their development and not impede it.
But I am not giving up on my hope to see QB Clayton Tune finally get a fair chance.
Jacoby Brissett (19-34 as a starter) played maybe his best football 3 years ago in CLE. Last year he did not look like the same player in NE. If the QB2 job is an open competition as JG avows for all positions, I believe that Clayton Tune will win the job like he did last year… https://t.co/Ey8iIEpoes
— Walter B J Mitchell (@WBJMItch) March 11, 2025
I believe that Clayton Tune will win the job like he did last year over Desmond Ridder (8-10). Tune has a stronger, more accurate arm and quicker feet.
I am not giving up hope that Tejhuan Palmer will develop into the fast, big-target slot WR that made him stand out on the UAB tapes and that Xavier Weaver could be the deep threat to take the top off the defense.
And I am not giving up hope that will be brighter days of free agency ahead.
Day 2 just felt especially underwhelming and agonizingly disappointing.