From the moment quarterback Aaron Rodgers became a free agent, it was obvious that not many teams were interested in signing him to be the starting quarterback. To date, only the Steelers have shown such interest.
The Cardinals have always been a possibility, given that they don’t have a clear first-string quarterback on the roster. And it would make sense for the Cardinals to be interested in Rodgers.
Nathaniel Hackett, his former offensive coordinator with the Packers and the Jets, has that same role in Arizona now. And Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur (with whom Rodgers won a pair of NFL MVP awards), is the Cardinals’ head coach.
Last year, Mike LaFleur was the Rams’ offensive coordinator. They viewed Rodgers as a potential Plan B, if Matthew Stafford had been traded to the Giants or the Raiders.
In recent days, some in the media have connected dots that had been hiding in plain sight for weeks. Even after drafting quarterback Carson Beck, the Cardinals don’t have an obvious answer at the position.
But here’s the reality. How competitive will the Cardinals be this year, even if Rodgers were to join the team? They have to contend with the Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers in their own division, playing each twice per year. The Cardinals also play the four teams of the AFC West, the four teams of the NFC East, the Saints, Jets, and Lions.
If Rodgers is hoping to finish his career with a playoff run, it won’t be easy to do it with the Cardinals. It won’t be impossible. But it won’t be easy.
So, yes, there are reasons for the Cardinals to be interested in Rodgers, and for Rodgers to be interested in the Cardinals. There are also reasons for Rodgers to not be interested in the Cardinals.
Regardless, nearly two months into free agency, there’s been no indication that the Cardinals are eyeing Rodgers or that Rodgers is eyeing the Cardinals. Could it still happen? Sure. Would it make sense at one level? Absolutely.
At another level, it would make no sense.
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He was the eleventh overall pick in the draft. As of Friday, however, Cowboys safety Caleb Downs had the top-selling jersey among all rookies.
Fanatics has announced, via Fox Sports, the ten best-selling rookie jerseys in the wake of the 2026 draft. Downs leads the way.
Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, lands at No. 5. That’s one spot behind Steelers rookie quarterback Drew Allar, a third-round pick, who sits at No. 4.
Here’s the full top ten: (1) Downs; (2) Dolphins linebacker Jacob Rodriguez; (3) Cowboys linebacker Malachi Lawrence; (4) Allar; (5) Mendoza; (6) Dolphins cornerback Chris Johnson; (7) Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love; (8) Patriots offensive lineman Caleb Lomu; (9) Bears safety Dillon Thieneman; (10) Jets linebacker David Bailey.
The presence of two Cowboys defensive players in the top three and two Dolphins defensive players in the top six could be a reflection of the overall optimism the fans of those teams are currently feeling. For Dallas, the offense is among the best in the league; it won’t take much defensive improvement to make the team a contender. As to the Dolphins, it’s a new era with the hiring of G.M. Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley.
It’s somewhat surprising that none of the four receivers taken in the first round made the list. And the absence of Rams quarterback Ty Simpson reflects the reality that he’ll be spending a year (or two, or maybe three) behind Matthew Stafford.
The numbers will surely change once the depth charts are determined for 2026 and, after that, the games are played. The rookies who play and play well will see a spike in jersey sales.
The dust has settled on the 2026 NFL draft, and perceptions around the Cardinals haven’t changed: They’re the longest long shots to make the playoffs in the NFL.
The Cardinals’ betting odds to make the playoffs are currently +2000, which gives them the longest odds to make the postseason. They also had the longest odds to make the postseason before the draft, so the addition of running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick made no difference to how likely the Cardinals are to make the playoffs, at least as far as the betting odds are concerned.
The biggest reason that few see the Cardinals winning this season is the uncertainty at the quarterback position, where Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew are likely to compete for the starting job, and rookie third-round draft pick Carson Beck could push his way into the mix as well. There’s no reason to think any of those quarterbacks are going to lead this team to the playoffs this season.
And it doesn’t help the Cardinals’ cause that the NFC West figures to be very competitive, and the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers are expected to be NFC championship contenders.
First-year Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur has inherited a team that no one expects to be in the playoffs this year. The Cardinals may be building more for 2027.
Plenty of pro athletes blow through their money quickly and go broke in retirement. Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love is not about to let that happen.
Love says all the money he gets from the four-year, $53 million contract he’s set to sign with the Cardinals will be invested, and he plans to let that money work for him.
“I’m not spending any of my NFL checks,” Love told BRGridiron. “All that money, my financial advisor’s going to take care of all of that. I don’t know about it, it ain’t my job. It’s going to be there making more and more money.”
The money Love spends during his career will come from his endorsements, and Love said even with that money, he’s not particularly concerned about what he’s going to buy himself.
“First thing I might buy with my marketing money is a house for my parents, car for my dad,” Love said. “Shoot, I’m gonna put myself last. I’m going to take care of my family first.”
Other draft picks would be wise to follow Love’s lead, and make sure the money is there for them after they’ve retired.
Calais Campbell will be back for a 19th NFL season.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Campbell will sign with the Ravens. It will be a one-year deal and it will be Campbell’s second stint with the Ravens.
Campbell’s first stint came from 2020-2002 and he had 113 tackles, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in that stretch. Campbell, who was the 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year, had 43 tackles and 6.5 sacks while starting every game for the Cardinals last season. He’s also played for the Jaguars, Falcons and Dolphins after entering the league as a Cardinals second-round pick in 2008.
The timing of the deal means that Campbell’s signing will not factor into the formula for distributing compensatory draft picks for either the Ravens or the Cardinals.
After the Cardinals drafted quarterback Carson Beck in the third round last Friday, General Manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Mike LaFleur declined to say whether Beck will be in competition with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew to be the team’s Week 1 starter.
During an interview with Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio on Wednesday, Ossenfort appeared to leave the door open for Beck to leapfrog the two veterans for the job.
“Just really excited to add him to the group,” Ossenfort said. “We’ve got two guys that have played and started a lot of games in the NFL in Jacoby and Gardner. I think that’s gonna be a great competition. We’ll add him in here, and we’ll bring him in and see how much he can handle. We’ll just see how that competition plays out in that room. In the end, the guy who’s gonna give us the best chance to win that’s who’s gonna be out there on Sundays.”
A report a couple of weeks ago indicated that Brissett has not been with the team for their voluntary work as he looks for a contract adjustment that would provide him with more security than his current pact. The Cardinals were said to be receptive to the idea, but the lack of any further word on that front would likely be a sign that the team thinks someone else could wind up under center to kick off the 2026 season.
Former NFL defensive lineman Josh Mauro died last week, the Raiders announced. He was 35.
The cause of death is unknown.
“The deepest condolences of the Raiders Family are with Josh’s family and friends at this time,” the team wrote.
Mauro went undrafted in 2014 and signed with the Steelers. He spent his rookie season on the practice squads of the Steelers and Cardinals.
He played four seasons with the Cardinals, one with the Giants, one with the Raiders and two more with the Cardinals, last playing in the NFL in 2021.
In his career, Mauro played 80 games with 40 starts and totaled 130 tackles, five sacks, 13 quarterback hits, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
The Cardinals drafted seven players this year and they’re signing seven more rookie free agents to their 90-man roster.
The group includes a pair of players who were teammates at Ole Miss during the 2026 season. Wide receiver Harrison Wallace III led the team with 61 catches for 934 yards in his lone season at the school. He had 84 catches over four seasons at Penn State before transferring.
Safety Wydett Williams is the other Ole Miss product headed to Arizona. He had 73 tackles and an interception in 15 games with the team last season.
The Cardinals have also agreed to terms with James Madison cornerback Elijah Culp, Arizona offensive lineman Ka’ena De Cambra, Minnesota tight end Jameson Geers, SMU linebacker Cameron Robertson, and Oklahoma defensive lineman Damonic Williams.
Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Mike LaFleur want to hold off on any discussion of rookie quarterback Carson Beck competing for the starting job.
After taking Beck in the third round of the draft, Ossenfort and LaFleur avoided discussing whether he might be part of a three-way quarterback competition with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew.
“We just announced his name about a half hour ago. We just want to get him in the building,” Ossenfort said. “We’re excited to have great competition in that room and we’ll see how it shakes out.”
LaFleur said Beck would benefit from learning on the sideline, but also indicated that if he proves himself as the best quarterback on the team, then the best quarterback will play.
“It benefits anyone at any position to be able to sit back. Sometimes guys don’t have a choice because you have to put your best 22 on the field, so we’ll see where this all shakes out,” LaFleur said.
Ossenfort said the Cardinals got to know Beck well during the pre-draft process, watched his film from both Georgia and Miami, and think he provides good value as a third-round pick.
“We spent a lot of time with Carson, met him at the Combine, brought him in for a 30 visit, there was no shortage of tape on Carson,” Ossenfort said. “Carson played in a lot of big-game environments. Played in a lot of intense environments in the SEC . . . and then the highest stage he could play on in the National Championship Game.”
Next Beck will play on the biggest stage in football in the NFL, but he might not play right away.
No quarterbacks were taken in the second round of the draft on Friday night, but one has come off the board with the first pick of the third round.
The Cardinals selected Carson Beck with the 65th overall pick. Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson were the quarterbacks drafted in the first round.
Beck transferred to Miami last year and piloted the Hurricanes to the national title game. He was a two-year starter at Georgia before making the move to South Florida and had 11,725 yards, 88 touchdowns and 32 interceptions while completing just under 70 percent of his career passing attempts.
Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew are the veteran quarterbacks in Arizona, but Brissett has been away from the team’s offseason program while looking for an adjusted contract.
