Ex Cardinals Coach Recalls Pat Tillman Turning Down Los Angeles Rams' Monster Offer

Pat Tillman could have been a member of the St. Louis Rams, but he chose to remain loyal to the Arizona Cardinals.

Pat Tillman spent all four of his NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, but there was another team pining for his services at one point.

That other team was the Los Angeles Rams, who called St. Louis home at the time. In 2001, the Rams reportedly offered Tillman a five-year, $9 million contract when he was a restricted free agent. That doesn't sound like much now, but back then, that would've been a pretty hefty payday.

Nov 14, 1999; Tempe, AZ, USA; FILE PHOTO; Arizona Cardinals defensive back (40) Pat Tillman kneels

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Ultimately, Tillman turned down St. Louis' offer to stay with Arizona, the team that took a chance on him as a seventh-round pick in 1998.. Now, 23 years later, former Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis recalls what Tillman told him after rejecting the Rams' offer.

“I knew we wouldn’t match the Rams offer,” McGinnis told Howard Balzer of Cards Wire. “Three days later, I see him on the treadmill. I tell him to turn it off and I say, ‘Everything is cool. You’ve earned it. I hate to lose you, but I’m happy for you.’

“He says, ‘What are you talking about? You were the only ones that believed in me. To leave for just money, that would be (expletive).'”

It's worth noting that the Rams and Cardinals were not division rivals at the time, as the Cardinals were still in the NFC East as a holdover of their own days in St. Louis. Still, Tillman's reasoning for staying in Arizona is quite honorable.

In his playing days, Tillman started 39 of 60 possible games for the Cardinals and recorded 374 total tackles with 15 passes defended and three interceptions.

Of course, Tillman is more well-known for what he did after football, as he left the NFL after 9/11 to join the United States Army. Tragically, the 27-year-old was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.

Even 20 years after his death, Tillman's story remains an inspiration both in and out of NFL circles.