Cardinals GM Hints at Another Major Draft Day Trade

There's a few question marks surrounding the Arizona Cardinals and what they'll do in the 2026 offseason.

The obvious elephant in the room is the status of franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, who very much appears to be on the brink of leaving as the Cardinals move forward with new head coach Mike LaFleur.

Questions such as how the organization will attack free agency and ultimately the draft also persist.

One thing that can't be questioned is general manager Monti Ossenfort's willingness to trade during draft weekend, and that again appears to be the case for 2026.

Monti Ossenfort: Cardinals May Not Be Picking at No. 3

Monti Ossenfort, Arizona Cardinals G — Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort speaks to the press from the Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe after the decision to fire head coach Jonathan Gannon on Jan. 5, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Who knows if we’re even going to be picking at number 3," Ossenfort told reporters at the combine this week.

The Cardinals have often traded draft picks under Ossenfort's three-year tenure, which has essentially turned from trend to expectation.

Most notably, 2023 saw him move down from pick 3 to 12 before jumping back up to six to take offensive tackle Paris Johnson. When the dust settled from those separate trades with the Texans/Lions, the Cardinals ultimately netted an extra first-round pick in 2024 among extra ammo.

Arizona's also executed numerous other trades through various rounds of the draft. Movement, on any of days one, two or three in the draft, has become the norm in the desert.

That again could be the case in 2026, as things feel fairly open after the Las Vegas Raiders assumingly take Fernando Mendoza with the first pick.

Arizona would need a prospect to truly wow a team below them to receive a significant trade package, though with numerous holes to fill on the roster, the Cardinals may feel inclined to move back and get more ammo as a result.

However, many fans feel like this is a repeat of 2023, where Arizona bypassed the opportunity to draft edge rusher Will Anderson.

Anderson has gone on to become one of the best players from his class, and as Arizona in a similar situation needing a pass rusher with Rueben Bain Jr. potentially being available, majority of Cardinals fans want the organization to stick.

Yet through Ossenfort's tenure, he's clearly open and willing to trade in either direction. Two years ago he joked about a neon sign hanging above him that read "Open For Business" — and while that was said with some obvious humor, the general manager himself knows the deal.