The Arizona Cardinals have a new general manager and head coach after a long, deliberate process. It turns out that their search might have gone a little differently if it weren’t for the reputation of the team and owner Michael Bidwill of being cheap.
Bidwill’s father, Bill Bidwill, had the reputation around the NFL for being miserly. Michael appeared to have shaken that same reputation and the team has done many things differently since he took over, but it would appear that he has the same reputation.
This was made public in a recent NFLPA team report card that grades each facet of the workplace for the players. They ranked second-to-last in the league and got failing grades in five of eight categories.
Compare.bet’s Kyler Odegard, a former reporter for the Cardinals, reported some damning information about the team’s GM and head coach search.
The Cardinals originally offered Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham the job. Per Odegard, he didn’t accept because the job because the two parties couldn’t agree on his desired compensation.
That led to the Cardinals hiring Ossenfort.
There is more. Ran Carthon, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers and now the GM of the Tennessee Titans, and 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters both turned down interviews with the Cardinals. New Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans canceled an interview with the Cardinals.
Per Odegard, Bidwill’s reputation was believed to be a reason for not accepting interviews.
The same is why Dan Quinn ended up back with the Dallas Cowboys after interviewing with the Cardinals for their head coaching job and Sean Payton, now the coach of the Broncos, also didn’t get hired.
Bidwill has since said that Payton’s salary was not the reason he was not hired. It was the draft compensation the Saints wanted to be able to hire Payton.
As the team moves forward trying to rebuild and reestablish itself as a good team, these reports continue to cast shadows on a team that has had almost nothing but questionable press for more than a year.
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