In the first of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Arizona Cardinals.
Key Off-Season Acquisitions
The Cardinals made five notable acquisitions in the offseason via free agency. They were guard Isaac Seumalo of Honolulu, Hawaii, running back Tyler Allgeier of Youngstown, Ohio, quarterback Gardner Minshew II of Flowood, Mississippi, defensive tackle Roy Lopez of Tempe, Arizona and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne of Portland, Oregon.
Seumalo signed a three-year contract worth $31.5 million on March 11. He is joining his third NFL team after seven seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2016 to 2022) and three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2023 to 2025). With the Eagles in 2018, Seumalo won a Super Bowl, and in 2024 with the Steelers, Seumalo was selected to the Pro Bowl.
Allgeier of Fontana, California signed a two-year contract worth $12.5 million on March 12. He is joining his second NFL franchise after four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2026, Allgeier had 514 yards rushing, eight rushing touchdowns and 96 yards receiving. In Arizona, Allgeier is expected to backup first round pick Jeremiyah Love.
Minshew II signed a one-year contact worth $5.75 million on March 12. He is joining his sixth NFL franchise after two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2019 and 2020), two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2021 and 2022), one season with the Indianapolis Colts where he was selected to the Pro Bowl (2023), one season with the Las Vegas Raiders (2024), and one season with the Kansas City Chiefs where he backed up Patrick Mahomes (2025). Last season Minshew II completed six of 13 passes for 37 yards and one interception. He also had six rushes for two yards. In Arizona, Mishew II is expected to backup Jacoby Brissett.
Lopez signed a two-year contract worth $10.5 million on March 11. He is returning to the Cardinals after playing the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Arizona. Lopez also played the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Houston and the 2025 season in Detroit. In his two seasons with the Cardinals, Lopez had 70 combined tackles (32 solo tackles and 38 assisted tackles), six tackles for a loss, four quarterback hits, three pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one sack. In 2025 with the Lions, Lopez had 30 combined tackles (11 solo tackles and 19 assisted tackles), four tackles for a loss, five quarterback hits, two sacks and one pass deflection. The pass deflection came in a 34-27 Lions overtime win over the New York Giants on November 23.
Bourne signed a two-year contract worth $10 million on March 9. He is joining his third NFL team after five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2017 to 2020 and 2025), and four seasons with the New England Patriots (2021 to 2024). In 2025 with the 49ers, Bourne had 37 catches for 551 receiving yards.
The Cardinals also have a new coach in 2026. Mike LaFleur of Mount Pleasant, Michigan has his first NFL head coaching job. He is the brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Mike LaFleur was recently the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, and takes over from Jonathan Gannon.
Fantasy Star
Trey McBride of Greeley, Colorado is the second ranked tight end in all of fantasy football. He is only behind Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders. McBride had 126 catches for 1239 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches in 2026, and was selected to the Pro Bowl the second straight year.
Projected Finish
For the fourth time in five years, the Cardinals are expected to finish last in the NFC West. The reason is because the other three teams in the division are very strong. Arizona only won three times last season, and are not expected to win too many more times than thrice in 2026.
