There are two NFL events that you can bet that everybody from every NFL club is in attendance: the Senior Bowl and the Combine. And they are in session about a month apart and are both by invitation only.
The Combine got into full swing on Tuesday.
RELATED: DEFENSIVE OFFSEASON NEEDS FOR THE CARDINALS
At the Senior Bowl, 130 draft-eligible prospects are interviewed by teams in designated areas between practice sessions and at night after everyone has had their evening meal. Also, assistant coaches who
are no longer employed show up and get interviews scheduled for possible open position coaching jobs, and a lot are hired during this event because everyone is in the same place at the same time.
At the Combine, 319 players are in attendance. In addition to players being interviewed by NFL clubs, team head coaches and GMs are also interviewed. And a bevy of questions is always asked.
Before any questions were asked, Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort addressed the media and got right into the quarterback situation. He stated:
“I know for a lot of you, at the top of your mind is our quarterback situation, so here’s what I would say. All options are on the table for us. We’ve got Kyler, Jacoby (Brissett), and Kedon (Slovis) all under contract. As it pertains to that position, as it pertains to every position on our team, we will look at every avenue to improve. We will continue our process with that.”
Somebody did mention whether QB Malik Willis is an opportunity for the Cardinals to pursue. Ossenfort was with the Tennessee Titans when they drafted Willis, but Ossenfort did not give any information on where the franchise stood with him as a free agent target. No GM would ever divulge any pertinent information regarding a draft or free agent prospect, so the question was completely wasted.
What was Ossenfort’s answer, though?
“He’s one of the quarterbacks available. I don’t really want to get into evaluations of specific players.”
The same goes for quarterback candidates in the upcoming draft, which, of course, another reporter asked about. Ossenfort isn’t going to say where the franchise sits as far as who they like and don’t like, or what round they have focused on. Stupid-ass question.
But ESPN Arizona’s Josh Weinfuss is making a big deal about what Ossenfort stated regarding Kyler Murray. The question asked of Ossenfort was: “You sat down with Kyler to talk about last year and what he wanted?”
Ossenfort replied:
“Yeah, I’ve always had a good dialogue with Kyler. And it wasn’t up to what any of us wanted as a season as a whole. When you have the kind of year we had, there is a lot of room for improvement. We got to find a way to do that, not only at that position but all positions. That’s what we’re all focused on, is getting better and moving forward.”
Understand this, the word “yeah” from Ossenfort is a habit of his. He starts with “yeah” quite a bit, but it does not mean you are correct, or he agrees, but yeah, I heard the question and here is my answer.
LINK: OSSENFORT COMBINE TUESDAY INTERVIEW
Now, comes the dispute.
Weinfuss posted a video regarding the Ossenfort press conference. Weinfuss said:
“I asked Ossenfort earlier today if he had talked to Kyler at any point this offseason. Just kind of about how last season went, and kind of what Murray wants out of his future. And Ossenfort said they had. However, a source told me that that was not true. In fact, they have not talked at all this offseason. Which should make for a very interesting three weeks.”
The three weeks Weinfuss is referring to are if Murray is on the active roster on the fifth day of the new league year, or if Murray is omitted. If he remains a roster member, the Cardinals owe him a guaranteed bonus of $19.5 million for 2027, which is over and above the funds he is guaranteed for this year.
LINK: ESPN ARIZONA’S PRESS CONFERENCE REPORT
Here’s the rub, though. Weinfuss asked the first question of the press conference. He was inquiring about the roster bonus Murray might be owed in less than three weeks and how close the franchise was to deciding what to do. Ossenfort’s response was:
“I think Josh, those discussions happen and go on daily. There’s not just Kyler; there’s many of our players that have different structures of their contract that come up in that timeframe. And each one of those is an individual discussion, and those are going to continue here as we go forward and go into the free agency period and that leads into the draft. And those are discussions that are ongoing and we’ll continue to have them.”
So, let’s review.
Weinfuss is stating that Ossenfort said that he had talked to Murray this offseason. Then Weinfuss stated that “a source” he knows says that Ossenfort and Murray haven’t had any talks since the season ended. Meaning, Ossenfort lied about the interaction.
However, Weinfuss asked the very first question of the presser, which pertained to Murray. And again, Ossenfort stated:
“Yeah, I’ve always had a good dialogue with Kyler. And it wasn’t up to what any of us wanted as a season as a whole. When you have the kind of year we had, there is a lot of room for improvement.”
Where in that answer to Weinfuss’ question did Ossenfort mention he had specifically talked to Murray during this offseason? Anyone? “Always had a good dialogue with Kyler” does not mean they talked this week, last month, when the season concluded, or at all.
And later when Ossenfort said:
“I think Josh, those discussions happen and go on daily. There’s not just Kyler; there’s many of our players that have different structures of their contract that come up in that timeframe.”
Nothing in that statement does Ossenfort say that he has discussed anything at all with Murray. The “discussions happen and go on daily” is a reference to the front office and coaching staff having these talks. About contracts. In private.
The story on ESPN Arizona stated: “However, a source countered Ossenfort’s affirmation.”
Affirmation about what? That the team has discussions about every player daily, including Murray? That Ossenfort has always had a good dialogue with Murray? That the team talks about their player contracts?
Editor’s note: The ESPN Arizona story discussion begins at the 4:02 minute mark
Another farce occurred in the article. It stated: “Ossenfort said Tuesday that conversations about Murray’s future take place ‘daily.’” Not true. Ossenfort said that discussions about many of their players go on daily, including Murray. And it was a reference regarding contracts, not whether Murray is going to be with Arizona going forward.
Now, did Weinfuss have a casual discussion with Ossenfort behind the platform, in the hotel lobby, or perhaps in the hotel bar, and Ossenfort told him that he and Murray have had meaningful conversations since the season ended? We don’t know. Weinfuss didn’t give any specifics about where this talk took place. But since he asked the first question and Ossenfort responded with a similar dialogue, it appears the reaction from Weinfuss is from the press conference.
To be clear, Ossenfort never stated he had been in discussions with Murray before, during, or after the season. And when he offered, “it wasn’t up to what any of us wanted as a season as a whole,“ that pertained to every player on the roster, the coaching staff, the owner, the entire front office, and the fanbase.
And that mysterious source of Weinfuss? We may never know. And how was “this source” strategically situated to be able to hear all of this about Kyler Murray? And how was it, both Weinfuss and “the source” heard Ossenfort state that he and Murray have clearly been chat buddies since the 2025 season ended?
If Ossenfort gave away any information regarding the team’s current situation regarding Murray, it could hurt the negotiations with the player and/or his agent. It could sabotage any interest another NFL team may have in Murray through a possible trade. It might hurt the feelings of the player. Being “dismissed” is a soul-wrenching action that some will fight you over.
NFL GMs all talk Hollywood. They don’t ever give specifics – about anything that could cause failure in anything the franchise is working on.
Ever.
