The Arizona Cardinals were one of the best teams in the NFL during the first half of the 2021 season before going 1-4 in their last five games and getting blown out in the first round of the playoffs by eventual Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams. Nevertheless, the organization believes that head coach Kliff Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim are the right men to keep steering the ship, awarding them both with extensions on Wednesday.
Via Ian Rapoport:
Despite the ugly exit, it was the Cardinals' first time in the postseason since 2015. They also went 11-6 without star wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who only played 10 games after suffering a knee injury.
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell had this to say about extending his HC and General Manager:
“The leadership of both Steve and Kliff have been key factors in the team's turnaround over the last three seasons,” Bidwill said, via the team's website. “We are all looking forward to continuing that progress and recognize these two individuals will be a big part of achieving our long-term goals as an organization.”
Keim has been with the Cardinals for 24 years and this will be his 10th season as GM. As for Kingsbury, 2022 is set to be his fourth year in charge of Arizona. Now, the next goal for the team is handing quarterback Kyler Murray an extension, who recently voiced that he wants to stay in the desert long-term.