The NFL calendar just handed Cardinals fans a handful of dates worth circling, and several of them point straight at how Arizona’s next stretch could unfold.
The first major checkpoint comes on Sunday, Aug. 30, when every team has to be down to 53 players. For the Cardinals, that means training camp and preseason will do the heavy lifting in deciding who sticks around and who gets squeezed out as Mike LaFleur begins his first regular season as head coach. Trey McBride and Budda Baker are locked in, but the real drama lives on the edge of the roster, where bubble players will be fighting to prove they’re too useful to waive.
Arizona also gets a midseason marker on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the trade deadline. If the season goes the way expectations suggest, the Cardinals could be sitting near the bottom of the standings by then and looking more like sellers than buyers. That would open the door to moving veterans for future draft capital.
Josh Sweat is the name to watch there. He reportedly requested a trade earlier this offseason, and the star pass rusher could bring back a Day 2 pick for a contender trying to make a Super Bowl run.
Jacoby Brissett is another possibility. Some general managers believe Arizona may try to move him to clear room for rookie quarterback Carson Beck.
Then there’s the long game, and that’s where the real intrigue starts to build. The Cardinals have all of their original draft picks, and the 2027 draft looms as the one that could matter most if Arizona is setting itself up to land its next franchise quarterback. Whether that ends up being a quarterback, tackle, edge rusher or another premium position, the Cardinals could be in position to take a player who changes everything.
The scouting combine, set for Monday, March 1 through March 8 in Indianapolis, will be one of Arizona’s biggest evaluation windows. By then, the tape work and prospect study will already be deep, but the combine gives teams a chance to meet players face to face, compare testing with film and, just as importantly, get medical evaluations from their own staff.
That combine wraps up on March 8, and free agency opens just one day later. It’s a huge stretch for Arizona, especially with a league-leading $119 million in projected cap space next offseason. That number could come down if extensions for Paris Johnson Jr. or Michael Wilson get done, but the Cardinals are still sitting on major spending power.
And one more date sits at the top of the league calendar: Sunday, Feb. 14, when Super Bowl LXI will be played at SoFi Stadium.
For Arizona, though, the bigger picture is clear. LaFleur’s first season is about laying the groundwork, and the 2027 draft may end up being the most important one the franchise has had in a long time.
In Other News...
Rams Just Sent Cardinals Fans A Strange SoFi Reminder
A familiar NFC West trip to SoFi Stadium is getting a little extra theater in 2026, when the Rams plan a limited-edition replica Championship ring giveaway for the first 60,000 fans through the gates. The promotion is tied to Los Angeles Week 6 home game against the Cardinals, a matchup that already carries plenty of division heat and now comes with a souvenir that should make the building feel even more like an event.
The choice of opponent says as much about the market as it does about the matchup. Since the Rams returned to Los Angeles, the citys fan mix has made certain home games feel less like a standard home date and more like a referendum on who really owns the stands, and the Cardinals were selected because that game is expected to bring the heaviest Rams presence of any home game that season. [Read more 🡒]
Zaven Collins Just Sent A Strong Message About Arizonas Future
Zaven Collins has spent enough time around the Cardinals to know when a room has the right kind of energy, and he sounded upbeat when talking about Arizonas quarterback situation in a recent interview. He pointed to Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck as a group he believes in, a sign that the linebacker sees more stability than uncertainty as the team leans into a new season.
Collins also made it clear where his own head is at, even if the contract side of things is still on the back burner for now. He said extension talks have not started yet and figures those conversations will come after the upcoming season, while also praising the organization and coaching staff as reasons he wants to keep building in Arizona. [Read more 🡒]