The Arizona Cardinals are headed into the NFL offseason feeling down and empty about the way their season ended. After an amazing start to the regular season, the Cardinals began slipping late in the year. That continued forward into the playoffs and they lost to the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round.
Now, all the Cardinals can do is focus on putting together a big offseason. There are some areas that need to be improved and some decisions that need to be made on impending free agents.
With that in mind, we have compiled a list of important dates to keep in mind for the Cardinals this offseason.
March 1-7: NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis
March 8: Deadline for teams to designate franchise or transition tags at 4:00 p.m. ET
March 14-16: Between 12:00 p.m. ET on March 14 and 3:59 p.m. ET on March 16, teams may negotiate with unrestricted free agents.
March 16: The 2022 league year and free agency begin and trades may be executed at 4:00 p.m. ET
April 18: Teams with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 20: Deadline for teams to bring draft-eligible players to their facilities for physical exams.
April 22: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
April 27: Deadline for teams to exercise right of first refusal on restricted free agents.
April 27: Deadline to time, test, and interview draft-eligible players.
April 28-30: 2022 NFL Draft
Those are all key dates that will be important for the Cardinals to nail. In free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft, Arizona will need to find pieces that can improve the look of their current roster.
Arizona does have some great pieces to build around. Kyler Murray is a legitimate MVP-caliber quarterback and DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best wide receivers in the game when he’s healthy. The Cardinals also have a very talented all-around defense, although they could use some help in the secondary.
Big decisions will need to be made for impending free agents like Chandler Jones, A.J. Green, Zach Ertz, Christian Kirk, and more. Arizona will need to re-sign some of those guys, but could replace some of them as well.
Expect to see the Cardinals look to be aggressive this offseason. Arizona is close to being a Super Bowl contender and a big offseason could put them in that position next year.
