Cardinals hire Titans' Monti Ossenfort as GM
The Arizona Cardinals hired Monti Ossenfort as their new general manager on Monday, the team announced.
A former director of college scouting, Ossenfort was part of four Super Bowl-winning seasons with the New England Patriots. He spent the last three years as the Tennessee Titans' director of player personnel.
Ossenfort brings 21 seasons of experience to Arizona. He gained recognition among NFL executives after spending 15 years with the Patriots (2003, 2006-19) in multiple roles. The Minnesota native has also worked for the Houston Texans (2002-05) and started his career as an intern with the Minnesota Vikings in 2001.
"It was critically important for us to find the right person to lead us as general manager and there is no doubt in my mind that we have that in Monti Ossenfort," team owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement. "He possesses every attribute of a successful GM - passion, leadership, intelligence, work ethic - and his extensive experience has clearly prepared him for this role. We could not be more thrilled to have Monti and his family joining the Cardinals."
He replaces Steve Keim, who stepped down from the position on Jan. 9 after taking a leave of absence for health-related reasons in December. With Ossenfort's hiring, the Cardinals will now focus on bringing in a new head coach. The club recently received permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Sean Payton for the role.
The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing 4-13 season and fired coach Kliff Kingsbury last week. Arizona - which hasn't won a playoff game since the 2015 season - also saw quarterback Kyler Murray go down with a torn ACL on Dec. 13. Murray signed a five-year, $230.5-million extension in July.
Meanwhile, Ossenfort's exit adds to a list of recent departures from Tennessee. The Titans, who finished 2022 with a 7-10 record and missed the playoffs, fired general manager Jon Robinson in December with the club leading the AFC South. Tennessee interviewed Ossenfort for its GM vacancy last month.
The Titans also parted ways with offensive coordinator Todd Downing at the end of the season.
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