On Wednesday, arizona Cardinals officially announced the renewal of head coach Cliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim through the 2027 season. This timing is very delicate, and the team is in the process of negotiating a contract extension with Keller Murray, a quarterback.
Kingsbury signed a four-year contract in 2019, which was supposed to be the final year. Keim has been a member of the Cardinals since 1999 and has been general manager since 2013, and he renewed his contract with the team into this season in 2018. In other words, both of them renewed their contracts five years in advance.
Team owner Michael Bidwell said in a statement: "The leadership of Steve and Cliff has been key to the team's turnaround over the past three seasons and we hope to be able to continue this process and recognise that both of them will be an important part of the team's long-term goals. ”
Kingsbury has been subject to much skepticism before, with his college coaching record being a 35-40 defeat and a frequent crash in the second half of the season. The team's record after joining the Cardinals was 5-10-1, 8-8 and 11-6, respectively, achieving their first playoff trip since 2015.
Although it gradually improved to a positive record, the team still performed poorly in the second half of the schedule. Last season they ended with two straight losses at a 5-2 start, burying a favorable playoff situation, this time losing the first place in the division at a 7-0 start and losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round.
The young manager may have some talent, but it is doubtful that he is not really qualified to lead the team at the level of a manager. Kingsbury's obvious command mistakes are everywhere, and on deep tactical issues, he has never been able to establish a clear style for the team, which is probably the fundamental reason why the team loses momentum when it plays.
However, for a manager with achievements, it is difficult for the team to remove him. The same is true for Kem, who took up his car in 2013 with Bruce Arians and Carson Palmo and made some good results, even the Ocean Phase in 2018 did not make him lose his position. After drafting Murray and robbing trades such as DeAndre Hopkins, Keim had saved up a wave of performance to keep his job.
Sometimes, a good choice is not necessarily the right choice. It's hard to have a boss fire the general manager and manager if the team reaches a certain level, and the combination of Keim and Kingsbury is like reaching the passing line, and it is difficult to expect them to help the team to the next level.
Once the two men were identified, the remaining problem was Murray. Quarterback agent Eric Buckhart told the media on Monday that Murray presented the Cardinals with a detailed contract proposal, demonstrating the determination to be tied to the team for a long time. Buckhart had an in-depth conversation with Kem on Tuesday, which can be seen as the two sides are pushing for a contract extension.
BartHart, who is also Kingsbury's agent, congratulated the manager on social media on a "lucrative contract extension." "When will he congratulate Murray?" Let's wait and see.