The Cardinals quickly have become the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. They’re also the gang that couldn’t tamper straight.
The Cardinals and Eagles have settled a tampering investigation by trading picks in the 2023 and 2024 draft. Specifically, they’re swapping third-round picks in 2023 (a 28-pick difference), and the Cardinals will receive the Eagles’ fifth-round pick in 2024.
In a joint statement, the teams explain that Cardinals G.M. Monti Ossenfort had a phone conversation with Eagles defensive coordinator -- and now Cardinals coach -- Jonathan Gannon in the days following the NFC Championship.
It’s a blatant, bright-line violation of the rules. The statement contends that the Cardinals self-reported. It would be interesting to know why or how they decided it would be a good idea to do that. It’s possible that, if they didn’t, they were going to get whacked.
Indeed, it would have been easy for the Cardinals to just ignore the situation, given that tampering happens all the time. Thus, it seems like there’s more to this story.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals officially have seized the unofficial mantle from the Texans as the most dysfunctional team in the NFL.