The Arizona Cardinals’ content team unveiled its latest Flight Plan episode on Thursday night, and the first six minutes felt like the climax of an action movie.
There was no narration, no setup, only eyes on new GM Monti Ossenfort in the War Room, as he deftly navigated a pair of trades during the first round of the NFL draft in April.
It was Ossenfort’s first time calling the shots for an NFL organization, and he exhibited the precision of a veteran surgeon, icily dissecting multiple scenarios before pulling the trigger on two of them.
Monti Ossenfort working the phones before the Texans trade. Inject this into my veins. pic.twitter.com/eUKNxXouai
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) June 9, 2023
We all knew the result beforehand — that Ossenfort’s wheeling and dealing landed the Cardinals an ultra-valuable 2024 first-rounder from Houston, as well as elite tackle prospect Paris Johnson in a trade up with the Lions — but seeing it in real-time had Arizona fans buzzing.
This is an organization that’s been raked through the coals for the past year-and-a-half, as a 10-2 start in 2021 eventually devolved into a mess of epic proportions.
But Ossenfort should have been wearing an ‘S’ on his chest underneath a white dress shirt and charcoal tie, because he just might be the savior.
Monti Ossenfort YOU are the best General Manager in #AZCardinals team history
— vic (@redseavic) June 9, 2023
It’s no secret that the Cardinals have been one of the worst franchises in the NFL since their inception, and that poor ownership will always have a negative effect on a team.
However, football is not like Major League Baseball, where also-rans perennially remain at the bottom of the standings.
There is intentional parity in football, which gives every team a chance at greatness. The previously-moribund Bengals and Jaguars are in the midst of it, and the Cardinals were legitimate Super Bowl contenders during the Bruce Arians era.
Ossenfort gives off Arians vibes, not from a personality standpoint, but in complete competence.
The two moments that stood out to me the most from the War Room footage: Ossenfort calmly explaining to Houston GM Nick Caserio that his original trade proposal was not enough, and later making it known that Arizona’s 2024 first-rounder was a non-starter in any trade up to get Johnson.
Here's how #Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort worked his way back up from #12 to #6 to get Paris Johnson.
He talked with SEA (5), DET (6), LV (7) and ATL (8). All happening on the fly.
Again, this is AMAZING access.
(via Cardinals Flight Plan on YT) pic.twitter.com/L5jzWpT77X
— Ari Meirov (@AriMeirov) June 9, 2023
Ossenfort is clearly leaning heavily on a pair of imports to Arizona — assistant GM Dave Sears and assistant director of player personnel Rob Kiesel — and it already seems to be paying dividends.
The trio worked in lockstep during the draft-day negotiations, comparing offers to their trade value chart to determine if they could extract surplus capital.
The Cardinals have long been a small, family-run organization in an ocean full of big-business sharks, and finally going outside the building to find a GM and his top lieutenants gives them some power to bite back.
Ossenfort’s rebuild plan has been crystal clear all offseason, but general managers rarely need to make split-second decisions like NFL coaches. That War Room scene was the biggest moment of Ossenfort’s career, and he couldn’t have handled it any better.
