Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim is prepared for a lot of change this offseason with his team.
Calling Sunday's loss in Washington not only one of the most frustrating losses of the season but of his tenure as Cardinals General Manager, Steve Keim was admitting disappointment and apologizing after his team was officially eliminated from the postseason for this year.
"I apologize to our fans and everybody in our organization," Keim said during an appearance Monday on 98.7, Arizona's Sports Station. "Moving forward we have a lot of work to do. It's going to be a busy offseason.
"We will continue to evaluate this team the last two games and I promise the product on the field in 2018 will finish much stronger."
Asked if he was willing to make big changes in 2018, Keim was blunt.
"I would say that's an understatement," he
said.
There were no specifics. Keim said there will be a lot of internal conversation, but he would not speak of particular possibilities publicly.
"There is a lot of work to be done this offseason and I rarely think about the things that work," Keim said. "The things that race through my mind are the things that didn't work or the things I need to improve on personally. I take it personal. It's one of those things that keeps me up at night and one of the things that fuels me to keep improving this roster."
There are a lot of significant spots that will have to be addressed one way or another. Bruce Arians has to decide if he is coaching again. Quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald both have to figure out if they want to play another season (both are under contract for one more year.)
The Cardinals should be in a good position with the salary cap, Keim said, allowing that the team will make "some tough decisions" to create space.
Keim said the Cardinals will be prepared for any circumstance that comes up, noting that when he became GM in 2013, the franchise was without a coach or quarterback, and after Arians was hired and Palmer arrived, the team won double-digit games three straight seasons.
That history, and with recent turnaround success of a team like the Rams, is why Keim isn't about to say the team would struggle to compete even if the roster is restructured.
"There is going to be a lot of opportunity to get better at every position," Keim said. "You have the opportunity to do what the Rams have done. Look how they have improved. It's a year-to-year thing.
"I never want to approach a season with the mindset that we are building or it's a step back. That's not fair to our fans. That's not fair to our organization. I think you have to do everything you can to improve your roster and, so to speak, go for it every year. … My attitude and my mindset is we will have a chance every year going forward."
