- Ossenfort enters his fourth season with the Cardinals after being hired as the team's General Manager on January 16, 2023. He was hired in Arizona following three seasons (2020-22) as the Director of Player Personnel for the Tennessee Titans.
- Arizona's 2026 free agency period was Ossenfort's busiest one yet with 15 new players signed. The group included Pro Bowl OL Isaac Seumalo, WR Kendrick Bourne, All-Pro KR Devin Duvernay, QB Gardner Minshew and S Andrew Wingard among others.
- In his first four drafts (2023-26) as the Cardinals GM, Ossenfort made 35 total selections and executed seven trades. Of the 35 players drafted – which includes 19 on defense and 16 on offense – 33 remain on the current roster.
- Over the span of just five months in 2024, Ossenfort signed four of the Cardinals core players to contract extensions: S Budda Baker (12/28), RB James Conner (11/30), OL Hjalte Froholdt (8/21) and LB Zaven Collins (8/3). In April of 2025, Ossenfort signed Pro Bowl TE Trey McBride to a four-year contract extension.
- Arizona's 2025 free agent class was highlighted by the signing of LB Josh Sweat and QB Jacoby Brissett. Sweat established a career high with 12.0 sacks, also tying for the NFL lead with four "strip-sacks." Brissett started 12 games and threw for 3,366 yards and 23 TDs, both the highest totals in franchise history in a player's first 12 starts with the team.
- Ossenfort's 2025 NFL Draft class featured six defensive players who combined for 83 games played, 2,650 defensive snaps, 841 special teams snaps, 197 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 3 INTs, 29 passes defensed, 7 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery (returned for a TD), 3.5 sacks, 20 special teams tackles and a blocked PAT last season.
- The 2025 draft class was highlighted by CBs Will Johnson and Denzel Burke. The duo combined for 29 games played (18 starts) with 84 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 INTs, 21 passes defensed and a forced fumble last season. Both finished among the five rookie defenders with 10+ passes defensed in 2025. Johnson joined Tampa Bay's Jacob Parrish as the two CBs selected for the PFWA's 2025 All-Rookie Team.
- Ossenfort's tenure in Arizona follows a highly successful three-year run in Tennessee. During that stretch, the Titans tied for fifth in the NFL in total wins (30), won a pair of AFC South titles and had two seasons of 11+ wins.
- Prior to Tennessee, Ossenfort had a 14-year run with the Patriots (2006-19) and worked his way up from Area Scout to Director of College Scouting. During those 14 seasons, New England won an NFL-high 199 games in the regular season, made 13 playoff appearances, played in 10 AFC Championship games and won three Super Bowls (XLIX, LI, LIII).
Monti Ossenfort was hired as the Cardinals General Manager on January 16, 2023 following three seasons (2020-22) as Director of Player Personnel with the Tennessee Titans.
During his three-plus season as GM, the 48-year old Ossenfort has significantly re-shaped the Cardinals roster in a variety of ways, signing core veterans to contract extensions and utilizing the draft, free agency and trades to add new talent. Since being hired in Arizona, Ossenfort and his staff have orchestrated over nearly 700 roster moves and 14 trades (including seven draft day trades) while accumulating 35 total draft picks and signing key veterans TE Trey McBride, S Budda Baker, RB James Conner, OL Hjalte Froholdt and LB Zaven Collins to contract extensions.
Arizona's 2026 offseason was Ossenfort's busiest yet. The Cardinals free agency period saw the team sign 15 new players while also adding seven players in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Cardinals 2026 free agent class included Pro Bowlers OL Isaac Seumalo, All-Pro returner Devin Duvernay and QB Gardner Minshew along with WR Kendrick Bourne and S Andrew Wingard.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cardinals acquired Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love – last year's Doak Walker Award winner – with the #3 overall pick. Among the other six selections were Texas A&M OL Chase Bisontis in the second round and Miami (FL) QB Carson Beck in the third round.
Following an eight-win season in 2024 and a promising 2-0 start in 2025, injuries took a heavy toll on the Cardinals as they endured a host of close losses (8 decided by 4 points or fewer) while facing one of the NFL's toughest schedules. Arizona's 2025 free agent class was highlighted by the signing of LB Josh Sweat and QB Jacoby Brissett. In his debut season with Arizona, Sweat was named a Pro Bowl alternate after starting all 17 games and finishing with 30 tackles, 12.0 sacks, 17 QB hits, 13 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed. His 12.0 sacks and four forced fumbles are both career highs.
Brissett started 12 games in his debut season with Arizona, completing 315-of-485 pass attempts (64.9%) for 3,366 yards, 23 TDs and a 94.1 passer rating. He finished the year having set career highs for pass attempts, completions, completion percentage, passing yards, passing TDs and passer rating. His 3,366 passing yards and 23 TD passes are both the most in Cardinals history in a player's first 12 starts with the team.
In Ossenfort's second year as GM in 2024, Arizona won eight games, doubling its win total from 2023 (4). Arizona outscored its opponents 400-379 that season and finished with the best point differential among NFC West teams. The Cardinals also won five of their final six games at State Farm Stadium. Arizona's campaign was set up by a historic draft haul that featured an NFL-high 12 total players being selected by Arizona. Included in that group was WR Marvin Harrison Jr., who the Cardinals selected #4 overall. In his debut season in 2024, Harrison tied the franchise rookie record for TD receptions (8) matching the totals of WRs Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.
In 2023, Ossenfort put together a rookie class – which in the final weeks of the season numbered 14 – that was one of the most productive in the NFL, with Arizona getting an NFL-high 4,654 combined snaps from rookies on offense and defense that season. The Cardinals were the only team in the NFL to have rookies combine for 2,000+ snaps on offense and 2,000+ snaps on defense. Arizona also led the NFL in total starts by rookies (64) and had a league-high 11 different rookies start at least one game that season. Arizona's rookie class in '23 finished the year with 151 games played, 7 TDs, 73 receptions, 847 receiving yards, 314 rushing yards, 206 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 13 passes defensed, a fumble recovery and an INT.
Ossenfort came to Arizona with 21 years of experience in the NFL (2002-22). That includes his three seasons in Tennessee and 15 years (2003; 2006-19) with the New England Patriots. During his time in New England, Ossenfort helped the Patriots win four Super Bowl titles (XXXVIII, XLIX, LI, LIII) and advance to seven Super Bowls overall. In Ossenfort's 24 total NFL seasons, his teams have earned a postseason berth 16 times.
His tenure in Arizona follows a highly successful three-year run in Tennessee. During that stretch, the Titans tied for fifth in the NFL in total wins (30), won a pair of AFC South titles and had two seasons of 11+ wins. Ossenfort's first season with Tennessee in 2020 saw the team win 11 games and earn its first AFC South title since 2008. The Titans followed that up with a 12-5 record and second straight AFC South crown in 2021. It marked the first time the franchise won back-to-back division titles since the 1970 merger.
Over the course of his 15 seasons with New England, Ossenfort served as the Director of College Scouting (2014-19), Assistant Director of College Scouting (2011-13), National Scout (2008-10), Area Scout (2006-07) and a Personnel Assistant (2003). In between his two tenures with the Patriots, Ossenfort worked with the Houston Texans as a pro and college scouting assistant in 2004 prior to being promoted to a college scout in 2005.
Ossenfort started his career in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings as a training camp intern in 2001 and worked with the Texans during their inaugural season in 2002 as a pro personnel intern under general manager Charley Casserly.
His first full-time job in the NFL came with New England as a personnel assistant under then head coach Bill Belichick in 2003, a year that concluded with a Patriots victory over Carolina in Super Bowl XXXVIII. He returned to New England in 2006, beginning a 14-year run with the Patriots that saw him work his way up from Area Scout to Director of College Scouting. During those 14 seasons New England won an NFL-high 199 games during the regular season, made 13 playoff appearances, played in 10 AFC Championship games and won three Super Bowls.
Ossenfort was a four-year letterman and two-year starter at quarterback for the University of Minnesota-Morris, where he completed 411-of-923 pass attempts for 4,263 yards and 21 TDs. He continues to rank first in program history in pass attempts, fourth in completions and fifth in total passing yards.
He graduated from Minnesota-Morris in 2000 with a degree in Economics and Management. Ossenfort earned a master's degree in Business Administration and Sports Management from Ohio University in 2002. In May of 2025, Ossenfort was invited to serve as the commencement speaker at Minnesota-Morris' 62nd commencement ceremony.
A native of Luverne, MN, Ossenfort and his wife, Shannon, have three daughters, Emery, Finley and Landry.
