Owner Michael Bidwill’s cost-saving ways have been an open secret for years in Arizona.
Now, a player survey from the NFL Players Association has amplified them for all to see.
The Cardinals received terrible marks in a variety of categories in the NFLPA’s first-ever team report cards, finishing 31st out of 32 NFL teams. Only the Washington Commanders were worse.
The Arizona grades were as follows:
- Locker Room: F
- Treatment of Families: F
- Food Service/Nutrition: F-
- Weight Room: F-
- Strength Coaches: A
- Training Room: F-
- Training Staff: B+
- Team Travel: B+
I Tweeted out the grades a few minutes after they became public, and the reaction from players, coaches and staffers was swift.
Messages poured in, universally in agreement with the findings.
One of the most egregious sections was the policy of the Cardinals to charge players if they took home boxed dinners from the team cafeteria, or ate at the facility in the offseason. According to the NFLPA, they are believed to be the only team that charges for meals.
Additionally, the quality of the food was ranked last in the NFL. One ex-Cardinals player told me the cafeteria cuisine was “weak.” Another tried to avoid eating at the facility whenever possible.
I spoke with a former member of the nutrition team who said the budget allotted was always tight, and that the higher-ups were more focused on the finances than optimizing the setup for the benefit of the players.
A half-dozen former players liked my various tweets about Bidwill’s ways, adding credence to the idea that there is a disconnect between the needs of the players and the execution by the higher-ups.
Even though Michael Bidwill has not received the same type of derision as his father — who was coined ‘Dollar Bill’ Bidwill for his focus on saving money — there has long been an undercurrent of frustration about his unwillingness to spend.
The Cardinals’ practice facility in Tempe was severely outdated for years, and while a renovation in 2015 was an improvement, it still lacked the luxury consistent with most NFL organizations (and college programs, for that matter).
The weight room is allegedly in a state of disrepair, with players complaining via the NFLPA report card that the floor is uneven and floorboards are peeling up.
Sources told me Bidwill looked into a new facility several years ago, but that it never came to fruition.
The penny-pinching is often front and center during the hiring process. Per multiple sources, Bidwill wanted Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham to be his general manager, but would not agree to Cunningham’s desired compensation. He instead went with Monti Ossenfort.
Bidwill’s reputation is also believed to be a reason why multiple 49ers coaches/executives declined to interview with the team for the open GM and head coaching roles, and why Sean Payton and Dan Quinn did not end up the team’s head coach.
Fan frustration seems to be reaching a boiling point, exacerbated by the fact that season ticket prices were markedly increased for 2023 despite a 4-13 record a year ago.
After a tumultuous 2022, there was finally a sense of optimism in Arizona following the hires of Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon.
But that has since been wiped away, leading to this plain truth: the success of an NFL team is closely tied to ownership, and Michael Bidwill is following in the footsteps of his father, not diverting from them.
