Patience is wearing thin in the desert. The Arizona Cardinals haven’t touched playoff grass since 2021, and have gone a combined 19-49 that cost both Kliff Kingsbury and then Jonathan Gannon their jobs.
Watching the Seattle Seahawks lift the Lombardi Trophy, the second NFC West rival to do so in the last five seasons, didn’t help matters. In fact, every team in their division has appeared in a Super Bowl in that span. Arizona hasn’t been since Super Bowl XLIII back in 2009.
The 2026 season offers a new opportunity for the franchise to challenge for its first division title in over a decade, but there are big decisions looming that could make or break that kind of success. Here are a few suggestions to finally make the Cardinals competitive again.
3 moves to help the Cardinals challenge the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks
Sign RB Kenneth Walker III
Nothing would signal Arizona going all in on winning more than signing the reigning Super Bowl MVP; stealing him away from their division rival would just be the cherry on top. Walker put up over 1,000 rushing yards for the second time in his four-year career in 2025, but saw his touchdown opportunities dwindle with backfield partner Zach Charbonnet in the mix. He’d be the clear No. 1 in Arizona without a doubt.
Walker is expected to command a roughly $9 million price tag on the open market, and the Cardinals have the 12th-most salary cap space at the moment ($32.8 million). Current RB1 James Connor is 30 and entering the final year of his contract after missing most of 2025 with injury. It just so happens his cap hit would be $9.83 million in 2026. The choice is obvious.
Ditch QB Kyler Murray for Kirk Cousins
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