The Arizona Cardinals received a shocking piece of news on Monday afternoon when the Los Angeles Rams acquired superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett in a blockbuster trade.
The Rams were already a solid team, going 12-5 in 2025, reaching the NFC Championship Game.
They lost to their NFC West rival and eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, but gained a two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year in Garrett.
This move firmly entrenches the Rams as championship contenders.
But how does a team like Arizona respond to this gargantuan move, despite being at the bottom of the division?
According to Sports Illustrated’s Donnie Druin, first-year head coach Mike LaFleur couldn’t care less about the league-shattering news.
What Did Arizona Cardinals Coach Mike LaFleur Say?
Despite the trade’s large impact on when the Cardinals will be able to contend in the NFC West, LaFleur is unbothered by the latest news.
“Just the thought of game-planning against any really good football player,” LaFleur said. “So, again, the great thing is I get the answer it just like I did the last one. You’re not really concerned about that right now.
“That’s not what kept me up at night yesterday. What kept me up was, hey, we got two really good team periods, we got a two minute, let’s see how that two minute goes, and then we’ll go from there. So, like all great players, whether it be offense or defense, you got to adjust, and you got to game-plan for those guys, but not my concern.”
What Do the Cardinals Do?
The Cardinals find themselves not only at the bottom of their division but also near the bottom of the NFL.
If anything, this actually helps the Cardinals in the long-run. With Arizona incredibly unlikely to contend this year, this could help the Cardinals get a better future draft pick.
The Cardinals and quarterback Jacoby Brissett are still in contract negotiations. This has left the door open for one of Gardner Minshew or Carson Beck to get starting reps.
While Beck figures to get more starts towards the end of the season, when the Cardinals are completely out of the playoff picture, he could earn the Week 1 starting job. With this comes some likely struggles for the third-round pick.
What Else Did LaFleur Say?
“It’s our job as coaches when we get into that week to see, hey, what guys are available this week for us? What guys are available for them? So many things happen within a season, within the division, within the conference, within the NFL, that like, why worry about that stuff right now? We got enough stuff to worry about in terms of getting our systems in, making sure that these guys understand what we’re asking from them, from a standard perspective, how hard they’re playing, and then techniques, what we’re asking them to do.”
Whatever the case may be, the Cardinals will get better positioning in the 2027 NFL Draft to get their franchise signal-caller because of the Garrett move.
Will it help in the short-term? Absolutely not. But will it help long-term? It very well could.
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