Second-year Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort doesn’t have a poker face. He doesn’t pretend to have one.
The front office head met with media on Wednesday ahead of next month’s NFL Draft. He did not hold back when discussing whether they are going to listen to offers for the fourth pick in the annual event.
“There will be a big neon sign that says ‘open’ and I don’t like it blinking, it messes with my eyes, but we’re always going to be listening,” Ossenfort told reporters, via NFL.com. “I think we’ll always have the conversation, we may not get to a point where a deal makes sense, whether it’s at [No.] 4 or anywhere we’re picking, but we’re always going to have the conversation and if it makes sense, if it’s attractive to building our team, then it’s something that we’ll certainly consider no matter where we’re at in the draft.”
Fresh off a four-win season, Arizona has a ton of holes to fill on both sides of the ball if it wants to become relevant again. One player is not going to change the dynamics too much in the desert.
It also makes sense for Arizona to listen to offers on the fourth pick. Quarterbacks are expected to go off the board with the first three selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Caleb Williams will be the first pick to the Chicago Bears. From there, the Washington Commanders (No. 2) and New England Patriots (No. 3) will also likely go quarterback. They’ll be choosing from Jayden Daniels (LSU), Drake Maye (North Carolina) and J.J. McCarthy (Michigan).
This puts the Cardinals in a great position to trade down with a quarterback-needy team that would like to add the signal caller who remains available. They could also trade down with a team looking at another position or go best player available.
Related: 2024 Arizona Cardinals mock draft
Arizona Cardinals trade down options in 2024 NFL Draft
- New York Giants (No. 6): Brian Daboll’s and the Giants have been linked to fast riser J.J. McCarthy from Michgian in trade-up scenarios. New York is looking for an eventual heir-apparent to injury-plagued starter Daniel Jones. A move down just a couple spots would enable Arizona to still get one of the top-two receivers in the draft (Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers). In this scenario, the Cards would likely be able to pick up a third-round selection and change for their troubles.
- Minnesota Vikings (No. 11): Minnesota moved back into the first round to acquire a second Day 1 selection for a reason. The team is looking for a long-term replacement under center after Kirk Cousins left in NFL free agency. Boasting the 11th and 23rd selections, the Vikings more than have that capability. Already boasting the 27th pick, Arizona would be able to have three first-round selections in the 2024 NFL Draft by making this move.
- Cincinnati Bengals (No. 18): As noted above, Arizona is in need of more wide receiver help. The team has also been linked to franchise-tagged Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Perhaps, trading down from four to 18 while picking up additional draft compensation from Cincinnati would make sense for the Cardinals.
Related: Arizona Cardinals standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings