Cardinals safety-turned-scout Adrian Wilson (left) shares a laugh with cornerback Justin Bethel (28) before a game last season.

Adrian Wilson was already doing work for the Cardinals in their front office, but now, he's officially full-time.

Wilson, whose work over the past months came through his inclusion in the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship, was hired as a scout Monday to assist in both the college and pro scouting departments.

The Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship is designed to educate former players interested in such a career. The program

gives participants experience as members of an NFL scouting staff, shadowing NFL scouts during an internship.

Wilson certainly had been all-in in that regard, already letting his voice be heard both at the Senior Bowl in January and at the Scouting combine in February. His elevation to the franchise's payroll always seemed to be a matter of time.

"At first it was hard because I was pulling between whether I wanted to play or not, or if I wanted to come here and do this full time," Wilson said in February. "Mentally I think that was probably the hardest part, the mental gymnastics of it all. At the same time I always knew I would be in this capacity, either personnel or coaching. I just had to figure out what I wanted to do.

"The personnel stuff is more suited for me because I know talent and I can see talent. I'm going to do it, put everything I can into it and try and make this team better and make myself better every year."

Wilson said his eventual goal is to become an NFL general manager.

Wilson, a five-time Pro Bowl safety for the Cardinals who was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor in 2015, officially retired from the NFL last offseason.