Former Titans employee got his new team in trouble
A bizarre trade went down just before the start of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals sent the No. 66 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 94 overall pick and a 2024 fifth-round pick. The deal was made because the Cardinals self-reported that they "tampered" with now-Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon […]
A bizarre trade went down just before the start of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Arizona Cardinals sent the No. 66 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 94 overall pick and a 2024 fifth-round pick.
The deal was made because the Cardinals self-reported that they "tampered" with now-Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon when he was still the Eagles' defensive coordinator.
New Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort had a phone conversation with Gannon in the days after the NFC Championship game. Contact was not permitted during that time according to the league's anti-tampering policy.
Ossenfort was hired as the Cardinals' general manager this offseason after serving as the Titans' director of player personnel for the last three seasons.
Ultimately, Ossenfort and the Cardinals got their guy. And while they ended up sacrificing some draft capital, it's a small price to pay to get the right coach (at least Arizona hopes he's the right coach).
I would bet that this is extremely common, but for whatever reason, the Cardinals got caught. Fortunately for Arizona, they were able to come to an agreement with the Eagles to settle this awkward situation.
