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.”
Don’t miss these 5 metro Phoenix hidden gem restaurants
From Ethiopian cuisine to mesquite-grilled chicken, check out these five restaurants in metro Phoenix that have flown under the radar for too long.
A former candidate for Gilbert mayor has opened the first Arizona location of a Founding Fathers-themed ice cream shop in Chandler.
Brooker’s Founding Flavors Ice Cream is a Utah-based ice cream shop centered around the early history of the United States. Female employees scoop cones in bonnets and dresses; male employees wear tricorn hats and coats. The ice cream flavors have names like Martha Washington’s Colonial Cotton Candy and Alexander Hamilton’s Not Throwing Away My Scoop.
On a trip to Utah in 2019, Arizonan Shane Krauser went to a Brooker’s and was blown away.
“I walked out of that, called my wife Janelle and I said, ‘We will own one of these,’” Krauser said.
The couple had no previous restaurant experience, but decided to open up the chain’s first location outside of Utah, choosing a storefront near the intersection of Chandler Boulevard and Dobson Road. The store opened on June 6.
Krauser loves how the shop creates conversation among customers about American history.
“I love history. I love the Founding Fathers. I love the ideals of America,” Krauser said. “It’s an amazing concept.”
Opening Founding Flavors isn’t political, it’s a ‘labor of love’
Krauser is a retired lawyer turned motivational speaker who addresses topics including “freedom, the proper role of government and the parameters of the U.S. and state constitutions,” according to his website.
In 2024, Krauser ran for Gilbert mayor, but withdrew his candidacy amid scrutiny over involvement with a past investment fraud scheme and his son’s appearance in a video with the Gilbert Goons, The Arizona Republic reported.
Although the shop plans to host events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S., such as one for Constitution Day in September, Krauser said he does not see the ice cream store as related to his political career.
“The mayoral run was something to be involved in politically. This is more of a labor of love,” Krauser said. “This is not political in nature at all. It’s an ice cream shop with an American theme.”
Details: 2560 W. Chandler Blvd. #3, Chandler. brookersicecream.com, 480-881-6100.
Reach the reporter at reia.li@gannett.com. Follow @reia_reports on Instagram.
Arizona CEO accused of stealing millions
Jeffrey Gottfurcht, the now-former CEO of Mesa startupo Cyber Dive, is accused of stealing at least $1.5 million from the company to buy gifts for his girlfriend. FOX 10’s Brian Webb has more.
PHOENIX – An Arizona chief executive officer is facing major legal trouble after being accused of embezzling money from his company.
What we know:
Cyber Dive is an Arizona startup that sells child-safety smartphones, designed so parents can monitor their children’s online activity. The company is run out of a business complex in Mesa, but the startup is barely hanging on after the CEO allegedly took off with the money to spend on his girlfriend.
Jeffrey Gottfurcht is facing federal embezzlement charges. He stands accused of lying and doctoring documents to trick investors before running off with at least $1.5 million.
On the company Facebook page, Gottfurcht claimed to be the first rheumatoid arthritis sufferer to scale Mount Everest.
Local perspective:
Red flags first popped up at the company on Feb. 13, with strange occurrences coming into the office.
Derek Jackson, who co-founded Cyber Dive, recalled the moment the discrepancies came to light.
“They mentioned to me something about getting routing documentation for funds from an acquisition deal,” Jackson recounted. “They said ‘where are those documents?’ He said he was gonna send him at 3 p.m. today, and my response was what deal are you talking about?”
Dig deeper:
Court documents show Gottfurcht used the money to buy his escort girlfriend a Lamborghini, a four-bedroom house in Miami, and a diamond ring. The girlfriend has posted videos on TikTok, but her identity is hidden because she has not been charged with a crime.
When asked to confirm if Gottfurcht purchased the car, the diamond ring, and the house, Jackson responded, “Yes. So it gets deep. Yes, it gets very deep.”
“It’s a huge gut punch,” Jackson said regarding the impact on the startup. “I think it’s been challenging to stay motivated to keep the company going because when this happened, Jeff drained the account to zero.”
At the Cyber Dive headquarters, half the workforce was let go. Jackson is now serving as the interim chief executive officer, looking for new investors to keep the lights on while coming to grips with the loss of a partner and friend.
Jackson stated that the total amount of money taken is closer to $4 million.
“I was in the army. I was an intelligence officer. I was targeting people in ISIS. I don’t even hate terrorists as much as I hate Jeff right now,” Jackson said.
The other side:
No one answered the door at the Paradise Valley home Gottfurcht shares with his wife and three children. Court paperwork shows that his wife is seeking a divorce, and helped turn her husband in to the authorities.
What’s next:
Gottfurcht was previously arrested in Scottsdale in May over allegations of domestic violence. He remains behind bars on a $250,000 bond.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Derek Jackson, and from court documents.
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