After a disappointing 2025, the Arizona Cardinals have now been struggling in the offseason as well. With several teams making waves in this initial phase of the offseason, the Cardinals have yet to make significant deals, barring a few decent signings. In reaction to this, a former general manager has shared an honest review of Arizona’s offseason.

“Ouch 🥴😂😂😂😂😂😂,” Steve Keim’s comment read.

This former front office leader is none other than the Cardinals’ ex-GM Steve Keim, who commented on a post by Cardinal Huddle criticizing current GM Monti Ossenfort’s offseason dealings.

Ever since replacing Steve Keim, Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort has quietly built a reputation. His last two first-round picks have only intensified that scrutiny. Marvin Harrison Jr., taken in 2024, has yet to deliver the kind of breakout impact many expected, while Walter Nolen III endured a difficult rookie campaign in 2025, struggling with injuries that limited his ability to stand out early.

With those mixed early returns already under the microscope, this latest development only pushes Ossenfort further into the spotlight. Despite arriving with more than two decades of NFL experience, Ossenfort always faced a challenge the moment he stepped in to replace Steve Keim. Keim had spent about 20 years shaping the Arizona Cardinals organization.

The 53-year-old was the Cardinals’ GM from 2013 to 2022 before stepping down from the role in 2023, citing health concerns. In this tenure, Arizona had an 80-80-2 record.

Notably, he earned Pro Football Talk’s Executive of the Year for the 2013 and 2014 seasons and The Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year for the 2014 season.

Coming back to the current state of the Cardinals, Keim isn’t far away from his assessment as the franchise has significantly struggled to find big-name free agents this offseason, barring the deal to sign former Pittsburgh Steelers guard Isaac Seumalo.

This signing has received an “A-” grade from The Athletic as the 32-year-old earned a 78.5 PFF pass-blocking grade, ranking fourth among guards, and marks a massive improvement from last season’s starting left guard, Evan Brown, who earned a 54.3 PFF pass-blocking grade last year.

But other than this deal, the Cardinals’ offseason has been deemed “average” by PFF and given a “C-” grade by Sporting News. Ossenfort and Co. brought in running back Tyler Allgeier and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne to bolster a struggling offense.

Both players are coming off solid 2025 seasons, with Allgeier recording a career-high eight touchdowns and Bourne completing his best campaign since 2021, catching 37 passes for 551 yards for the San Francisco 49ers.

However, Monti Ossenfort has yet to answer the biggest offensive question, as the Cardinals haven’t been able to upgrade their quarterback position after former QB1 Kyler Murray’s departure.

Public jabs from former executives toward their old teams are relatively rare in the NFL. One notable instance came when former Gil Brandt sparked controversy after making blunt remarks about late quarterback Dwayne Haskins, drawing criticism across the league before he issued an apology.

Arizona currently has Jacoby Brissett and former Kansas City Chiefs backup Gardner Minshew, who don’t significantly improve their offense.

With Brissett starting in the absence of Murray last season, the Cardinals had a 1-11 record as the 33-year-old completed 315 of 485 passes for 3,366 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions across 14 games. On the other hand, Minshew appeared in four games and completed 6 of 13 passes for 37 yards and 1 interception as a tibial plateau fracture cut his season short.

Hence, the offense, despite the Tyler Allgeier and Kendrick Bourne signings, remains a massive question mark ahead of the 2026 season. Now, with the franchise holding the third overall pick in the 2026 draft, a veteran Arizona sports expert has advised the Cardinals to select a certain Heisman Trophy finalist.

Cardinals urged to draft Jeremiyah Love third overall

Although no team likes to finish a season with a losing record and at the bottom of its division, losing has its perks, as it presents the best chance to select one of the best college players via the draft.

The Arizona Cardinals find themselves in a similar predicament and, hence, have been advised to pick a player who has massive upside, instead of going for a consensus name.

While the Cardinals are expected to draft Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle, Francis Mauigoa, the Arizona Republic’s Bob McManaman wants the franchise to select Notre Dame’s star running back Jeremiyah Love.

The 20-year-old finished third in the Heisman Trophy race after recording 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on just 199 carries last season and 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns the year before on just 163 carries.

With this decision, McManaman believes the Cardinals will win back fans who remain disappointed after the 2025 season and the poor 2026 offseason.

“The people who have stuck around for an NFL franchise that has lost 100 games over the past decade deserve better. Drafting Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 would help bring a lot of them back and make thousands of potential new fans more than just curious about buying into the product,” McManaman wrote.

Whether the Cardinals draft Jeremiyah Love, only time will tell. However, time is ticking for GM Monti Ossenfort and the Arizona front office as they must maximize the remainder of the offseason to bring massive improvements ahead of the 2026 season.