Arizona
Arizona Cardinals' Michael Bidwill eyeing a 'very active' free agency
The Arizona Cardinals turned quite a few heads this past season despite being at a clear talent deficit with a whole lot of rookies thrust into meaningful roles from the jump.
A 4-13 record isn’t anything to be jumping for joy about, but plenty of growth was noticeably made.
Now, it’s all about building upon the successes that came out of last year to keep those good feelings churning out of Tempe. A good way to do just that is through free agency, where the Cardinals are expected to busy under second-year general manager Monti Ossenfort.
“When you look at going into this free agency period, I don’t know exactly where we’re going to spend, but Monti knows he has the resources to go out there and get the job done,” Bidwill told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Friday. “We’ve talked about that at length. He’s going to be smart about it.
“We know we’re close and we also know there’s been some changes in the NFC West and it’s time for us to really take advantage of this opportunity.”
Last season, it was more about filling a roster depleted from the previous regime’s transgressions with more risk-free options — short-term and inexpensive athletes — rather than going out and adding a handful of legit playmakers that could really move the needle for Arizona at any of its main areas of weaknesses.
That’s not to say Arizona didn’t strike gold in inside linebacker and 2023 leading tackler Kyzir White, but he was by far the biggest splash in last year’s class on a cost-effective two-year, $10 million deal. And he was also one of only a few outside additions to actually land a multi-year deal.
At a glance, cornerback, defensive line, wide receiver and pass rusher had the biggest discrepancies last season. The needs are clearly there and with nearly $44 million in effective cap space to spend as of Friday, there is going to be money to spend. The NFL implementing a $30 million increase in salary cap — up $255.4 million from $224.8 million in 2023 — certainly helps.
There’s also a good chance that number increases by Arizona freeing up even more cap space through releases. For example, moving on from offensive lineman D.J. Humphries, who likely won’t play for much of the year after suffering a torn ACL late in 2023, would create nearly $16 million in cap space attached with a dead-money hit of $6.9 million.
And while Ossenfort told Bickley & Marotta on Thursday that Arizona is ultimately going to build upwards through the NFL Draft, hitting on a few free agents — regardless of which position of need it is — can go a long way in taking that next big step forward in 2024.
Bidwill believes Ossenfort is the right man for the job.
“I know we got a great one (in Ossenfort). You just look at the last year, the great success we had in free agency and in the draft and some of the moves that he made throughout the season,” Bidwill said Friday. “Looking now, we’re just a couple of weeks from free agency and I’m super excited about his plan going into free agency.
“We don’t know exactly what it is, because we’re not sure which players will be on the market, but I know we’re going to be very active.”
Arizona has brought the Territorial Cup back to Tucson, winning the rivalry game with ASU for the third time in four seasons. And it did so despite some of the worst grades of the season for the team as a whole and the offense specifically.
The UA’s team grade of 69.1 ranked third-lowest in 2025, ironically ahead of two of the other wins in the current 5-game streak. The offensive grade of 62.6 was also better than only the recent wins over Kansas (57.2) and Colorado (55.5).
Defensively it was a different story. Arizona graded at 76.1, which was 6th-best, and its 90.3 run defense grade was the best of 2025.
For the season, Arizona’s overall grade of 87.5 ranks 39th in FBS. The defense is tied for 21st at 91.5. Compare those to a season ago when the Wildcats ranked 98th nationally and their defense was 118th out of 134 FBS schools.
Below are the snap counts and individual grades of all players who appeared on offense or defense at ASU:
Top overall grades (min. 20 snaps): S Dalton Johnson (83.3), S Genesis Smith (71.7), QB Noah Fifita (71.2), RT Matthew Lado (71.2), LB Riley Wilson (69.0)
Top pass blocking: RG Alexander Doost (85.5), LG Chubba Maae (81.6), RB Ismail Mahdi (76.2)
Top run blocking: RT Matthew Lado (66.2), WR Kris Hutson (62.7), WR Tre Spivey (61.9)
Top pass rushing: LB Chase Kennedy (62.7), CB Treydan Stukes (60.0), CB Michael Dansby (59.7)
Top run defense: Johnson (92.7), CB Ayden Garnes (77.0), Wilson (75.2)
Top tackling: Smith (82.9), Garnes (81.1), LB Taye Brown (79.1)
Top coverage: Dansby (71.4), Johnson (71.3), Smith (68.7)
PHOENIX – From the terrifying moment caught on camera of a wrong-way driver on I-10, to the duel in the desert as ASU takes on Arizona for the rivalry game, here’s a look at your top stories on FOX10Phoenix.com for Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.
1. Wrong-way driver caught on camera
What we know:
During the late night hours of Thanksgiving, a white pickup truck was seen heading the wrong way on Interstate 10’s HOV lane near Baseline Road.
2. Man found lying near roadway prompts hit-and-run investigation
3. Suspect in custody after shooting at South Phoenix apartment
4. Officers use less-lethal means to detain road rage suspect
5. ASU vs. U of A: Fans gear up for rivalry game
A peak at your weather this weekend
Get the Full Forecast
MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — What began as a mistaken text message has blossomed into a 10-year Thanksgiving tradition that continues to capture hearts worldwide.
Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench are celebrating their tenth consecutive Thanksgiving together, a friendship that started in 2016 when Dench accidentally texted the then-17-year-old Hinton, thinking she was inviting her grandson to dinner.
“There are no accidents. It was meant to be,” Dench said.
The mix-up occurred when Dench sent a Thanksgiving dinner invitation to the wrong phone number. When Hinton responded asking who was texting, Dench replied it was grandma.
“I get this text back saying who is this and I said its grandma and the next message was well send me a picture,” Dench said.
Friendship grows through life’s challenges
What could have been a forgettable mistake transformed into an annual reunion. The pair have supported each other through significant life events, including the death of Dench’s husband in 2020 and her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment last year.
“We just all clicked. It was amazing. We spent hours talking. There was no generation gap. It was just fun and joyful and exciting,” Dench said.
“I love it to spend thanksgiving with so many different types of people,” Hinton said.
The friendship has provided mutual support during difficult times.
“I was able to talk with Jamal and he’s always given me encouragement and I’ve been very blessed,” Dench said.
“It feels like a best friend. She feels like someone you can talk to about anything. So when you go through anything I call her all the time. She answers her phone,” Hinton said.
Both consider each other family now.
“Jamal will always be in my inner circle of family,” Dench said.
“Family she’s family no matter what,” Hinton said.
This year’s celebration was sponsored by Green Giant.
Last year, the pair met virtually while Dench was battling cancer, making this year’s in-person reunion particularly meaningful.
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