As of this posting, no white smoke yet from 8701 S. Hardy, so a mailbag with no final coaching answers. Plenty of information and entertainment though! Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.
From Carlson Chemist:
"Hi Darren! There's been a lot of discussion regarding salary cap space on your forum and most recently how that money can be spent. It's my understanding that NFL salary cap money can only be used for player compensation, not for coaches and is defined as a limit on what each team can spend on player salaries and bonuses in a given league year. It covers base salaries, signing bonuses (prorated), roster and workout bonuses, incentives, and pay for players on injured reserve and practice squad. I thought that coaches, executives, and other staff are explicitly excluded from the NFL salary cap rules because their contracts are not part of the CBA with the players, so their pay has no effect on a team's cap space and is instead just a club business expense. Am I incorrect?"
You are correct. The salary cap -- which should not be confused with a team's actual cash outlay on a year-to-year basis, because they are not the same -- is the total amount of all the cap numbers of contracts for that particular year on the roster, including IR guys and practice squad guys. (So yes, having 20-some guys on IR eats up cap space.)
In a very simplistic way to look at a cap number: a player signs a 4-year deal worth $5M, $8M, $10M, $12M with a $30M signing bonus. The bonus is prorated over the four years, so it adds $7.5M to each of the four years. So this player's cap numbers would be $12.5M in Year 1, $15.5M in Year 2, $17.5M in Year 3, and $19.5M in Year 4.
All other non-player salaries in an organization are not governed by any kind of limiter.
From Jason Leslie:
"Hi Darren. What is the future of our cornerbacks? Specifically Max Melton. We'll see what a new coaching staff can do with him, but make no mistake, he was benched end of last year. That's not good for a second-round pick when Cooper DeJean was available. No, that's never going away, get used to it. Furthermore, Garrett Williams had a bad year pre-injury. We were missing Starling and Bunting all year, but who's to say they are even back in 2026? All I know is we have one dependable cornerback: Will Johnson. Curious if your outlook is sunnier."
Trust me, I am familiar with where Melton was in the draft and where DeJean was, and I know people aren't going to let it go. I lived many years with people bringing up the Levi Brown/Adrian Peterson situation (although Brown started in a Super Bowl and Peterson never played in one.) As for cornerback, no way to know what direction all of this will go until you get a head coach and defensive coordinator in here. One of the reasons for a coaching change was to get better development out of the young players on the roster, including cornerbacks.
From Bob Haines:
"Darren, has anyone in the Cardinals organization actually said they are parting ways with Kyler? If the Cardinals don't know what they are doing at QB, I believe they are going to have a hard time convincing a good coaching candidate to take the job. There is talent on offense, but we need to know who is leading the charge."
From Shane H:
"Hey Darren, I was just wondering your thoughts on the QB situation. I know all options are on the table but what makes most sense to you. Do we trade Murray for draft capital this year or next year, start Brissett and just eat the guaranteed money from Murray's salary? Or do we continue with Murray for a season or two and see where it goes? Thanks again for answering the questions. Always love hearing the insight."
I know everyone wants answers. Few are there right now. One for sure -- the organization has not said they would part ways with Murray. The only thing Monti Ossenfort has said is that, as Shane noted, all options are on the table. Who is the coach and what might he want to do offensively? What are the QB options if you move one already on your roster? What does the trade market look like? What is Kyler thinking from his end?
The QB situation overall will be the big question that needs to be answered -- but only after the coaching situation is settled.
From Jeff Wallace:
"Since Phillip Rivers is interviewing with the Bills for their head coaching spot I wondered why don't the Cardinals approach Carson Palmer? He just showed his coaching chops by coaching Santa Margarita Catholic High School and leading them to a state championship in his first season (2025) and earning MaxPreps Coach of the Year. One idea would be make him the QB coach and let both parties see if he can grow into OC or HC."
Approach him as head coach? Carson is great, and I am thrilled he had so much success this season, but coaching high school and coaching an NFL team is light years apart, and that's even with all the NFL knowledge Palmer (or Rivers) has. As for him being an assistant, I don't think Palmer wants to be that, along the same lines of why Kurt Warner never wanted to be that. Consultant? Maybe. But do people understand the hours NFL assistants put into the job? Palmer has young kids at home, he made millions playing football, and working crazy hours on a staff I do not think fits what he wants out of life.
From Glenny Moreland:
"Ain't no harm in speculation and what ifs, especially this time of year. Other than coach, QB is the main unknown on the team. I would like to submit a name for consideration: Mac Jones, 49ers backup QB. Former No. 15 pick in the 2021 draft. 27 years old. Nearly 6-foot-3. Pro Bowler (2021). Played well in relief of Brock Purdy this year, going 5-3. I've always liked Jones, even as a Patriot. If there's a guy who just needs an opportunity to thrive ... he compares to Daniel Jones moving to Indy, in my opinion. My question for you is why not? What holes would you punch in that plan?"
One, why would the 49ers trade him? They just had a season in which they needed him. Helped them get to the playoffs. Other than that, I'd have to look at him more, but I think it's moot. I do think, after the reclamation projects like Sam Darnold, Geno Smith and even Baker Mayfield that teams are going to be searching for that next guy.
From Mike B:
"Why are players still going to IR? With the season over what does that do?"
I am not sure to what this is referring, unless it was a move by one of the playoff teams. Rosters can still only have 53 guys on it; if you are trying to clear a roster spot and you don't want to cut a guy, putting someone hurt on IR -- even if it isn't serious at this point -- makes the most sense.
From Matthew C:
"Why are we not hearing more about Klint Kubiak? (Both in the desert and nationally) Has anyone looked at the players on Seattle's offense? Aside from JSN, there isn't a single player on that side of the ball that impresses me, yet he took a terrible O-line, a pair of average RBs, and a cast-off QB and now the Seahawks are Super Bowl favorites. (Yes the D is good, but they have great talent at all three levels) I would be shocked if he's not a head coach by February, and I hope he's ours, Ben Johnson-style."
I mean, I don't think anyone thinks the Seahawks are The Greatest Show On Turf Part II, but their offensive line is far from terrible, I've never heard anyone say Kenneth Walker is average (he isn't) and Darnold, while a castoff, has had back-to-back great seasons. So we will agree to disagree there. As for Kubiak, we'll see if he ends up a head coach this cycle. Anywhere he goes, you have to wait, and teams don't always love to wait. And we also don't know what jobs he may have interest in.
From Brian T:
"With the success of both title game coaches in college and a few one-to-two-year coaches in the NFL, do you get any sense around the league that new coaches are at all reluctant to take certain jobs versus others due to the pressure that is already there and now amplified to win now/turn around quickly? I assume they all have confidence to get the job done, but at some point, if I was a first-year coaching candidate I may be thinking about expectations vs reality."
It is a fair and realistic point to make. Michael Bidwill said in his press conference after Jonathan Gannon was let go that he didn't see why a turnaround couldn't be made in one year, maybe two. So yes, here there is pressure. You know what the expectations will be with the Bills and Ravens and Steelers. But yes, in this faster-every-day world, every job is going to have that pressure. Every job has to be considered through that lens. But as they like to say, there are only 32 of these jobs, and there is no guarantee a guy is going to be in the mix the next time the cycle comes around.
From Patrick Regan:
"Hey Darren. It's a given that Mr. Bidwill wants to make the right choice for the next head coach, but our track record hasn't been great. Do teams use outside counsel or advisors in helping steer them in head coaching decisions? Or is it always just the GM and Owner? (I read Troy Aikman was advising on the Dolphins GM search, and just wondered how much sway an outsider really has.) Also, what characteristics did you see in Bruce Arians that made him successful here and elsewhere, beyond just the talent of roster? Something that he had that maybe the other coaches lacked or hadn't developed into yet. Thanks again for doing the mailbag, and appreciate your responses."
There are times when teams use advisors. During one search I believe the Cardinals got some advice from former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi, although I don't recall which cycle. In the end, you need to be convicted on who you get regardless of whatever advice there might be. Monti Ossenfort, for instance, has a lot riding on this hire, so he needs to feel he's getting the right guy, even if someone else might not.
From Pascal Pierre:
"Is there a profile of an ideal candidate that has been set by Monti Ossenfort? Is there a postmortem analysis of previous coaching failures done to avoid mistakes in the future? Is the fate of Kyler Murray decided or is the input of coaching candidates asked? What will make the decision other than the willingness from potential candidates to accept this challenge?"
I am sure there is a profile for a perfect candidate although to expect that you'll find that perfect candidate would probably leave you looking forever. Also, and I am sure you are shocked to hear this, I would think that Monti a) considers that proprietary information and b) doesn't share that kind of thing with me regardless.
But yes, there will be an analysis of what went wrong. There are reasons there; that's why you make a change beyond just wins and losses. You want a leader, you want a guy who can give you a good plan of what his staff will look like, you want a guy who can be specific on how he wants to handle the QB situation, how he can improve this defense, how he can maximize McBride, Wilson and Harrison. You want a a guy you think you can work with. It's not, on a higher level, that much different than any company hiring any CEO. Who's got the best plan?
From Michael K:
"Is there any possibility that Russell Wilson will retire so the Cards can hire him as OC to work with Kyler?"
Is it possible Wilson retires? Yes. Is it possible he retires to become the Cardinals' OC? Nope.
