No, no head coach named yet, but getting the right guy is paramount. As for the right mailbag? It's always here. Questions have been edited for length and clarity. As always, you can send in a question for a future mailbag here.

From Cardsfan section 212:

"Hey Darren, what are your thoughts on the balance of interviewing everyone, or hiring somebody while available? Do we wait for candidates? Or do we hire someone now, given the risk of other teams snatching up talent? I for one think we should wait for DeMeco Ryans, but I can also understand not wanting to lose out on good options."

To me, it's about getting the pick right (or as close to "right" as you can.) With only four spots left, there isn't a lot of competition for candidates. If you have someone you love and it makes sense, yeah, I hire now. If you are waiting, that tells me you haven't found the "right" guy yet.

From Chad J:

"I just read the article on Simmons and the multitude of positions he played throughout the season. Could you wager a guess on how much of that deployment was determined by the coaching staff or was there influence from the front office on how he was used? Looking at draft history, between Mathieu, Reddick, Simmons, Deone, etc., that hybrid style was valued in the draft and I'm wondering if it was dictated they be employed as such."

Other than Simmons, all those guys basically played in one spot with only some movement. None of those guys were drafted without the defensive coordinator knowing at the time. So there was an understanding; I think Vance Joseph for instance saw Reddick not working inside and finally moved him outside at the end of 2019. But it's up to coaches; Reddick and Bucannon, for instance, lost a chunk of 2018 when they didn't fit into at all what Steve Wilks was trying to do on defense and his 4-3 alignment.

From John Turilli:

"Are you concerned with another first-time GM and possibly a first-time coach? Michael Bidwill and his people just do not want to give up power. Then again the GM does not score touchdowns or even throw for them. Please remember that Denny Green was the last head coach we had who had experience. He and Rod Graves drafted Ken Whisenhunt's Super Bowl team."

1) I don't get concerned about stuff like this. I have no say, so there is no reason to be concerned. The hire is going to be the hire. 2) I don't know if they will get an experienced coach, but I don't think it's as cut-and-dried to say it would definitely be better. 3) Yes, Green had a good eye for talent. But it was Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians that got this team to conference championship games. Three of the four coaches in this past weekend's playoff games are in their first head-coaching job, and last year's Super Bowl had two first-job head coaches. (Also, I'm not sure how you'd know Bidwill "and his people" don't want to give up power. Please, enlighten us.)

From Joe Caselton:

"Why if the Cardinals traded DeAndre Hopkins would he count for $22 million in dead money? Also does that count against the salary cap?"

For starters, "dead money" is always a cost against the cap. When you hear "dead money," that's a reference to the cap, not actual money owed. As for the reason why it would count in a trade, a player's dead money is the same counting against his current team whether they release the player or trade him.

From Robert Nations:

"With the new GM in place, what front office changes might be coming for the Cardinals? I am mainly thinking that the football personnel part and some scouts? Second Question, the strength and conditioning coaches would be kept or new ones brought in by the head coach, with input by the GM and Michael? Or would it be Michael and the GM with input from the head coach?"

With the strength and conditioning coaches, like other coaches on staff, some of it has to do if they still have time left on their contract. Ultimately, the new head coach usually have a say in those coaches just like the rest of the coaching staff. As for front office changes, that's something I would guess has to be discussed but not until after the new coach is hired; the Cardinals need to prep for the draft and often changes in those departments don't come until after the draft in April.

From Shane Hunt:

"Do you think the greatest failure, possibly in this team's history, was wasting Kyler's rookie contract? I know getting Rodney Hudson and J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins were major moves, but they were also half-steps, in my opinion. Going all in means going ALL IN. The whole Rams model, which is self destructive long term, but ultimately landed them a championship. I think this team was one foot in, one foot out. They wanted to go all in, but were also worried about the future. As a result, no real championship push. And now Kyler is paid handsomely and we've lost that rookie QB contract advantage."

For starters, they still have a season on the "rookie contract" -- Murray's cap number this coming year is still only $16M. Now, he's hurt, so that jacks it up. Bigger picture, I think there are lots of ways to approach this. I understand the idea of going all-in, but man, the Rams had a bit of luck last season too -- they were not the best team in the league for a good chunk of that season -- and there are so many variables that go into winning. I'm not someone who thinks it is all or nothing, because there is no guarantee your all-in work will work (ask the Bills this season.) I think this team's biggest issue was the lack of draft picks panning out, and certainly draft picks who turned into major pieces and/or Pro Bowl talents. That to me has been the biggest problem.

From Ricardo Crisantes:

"Hi Darren, long time reader and lifelong Cardinals fan, but first time asking questions.

1. If the front office decides to trade Hopkins, in your opinion, what is his trade floor/ceiling?
2. Is there any particular position that desperately needs to be addressed before the draft. (i.e edge, OL, DL)
3. Assuming D-Hop is traded what potential replacement would the Cardinals target if any?
4. What would be in your opinion the Cardinals' ideal free agency pickups heading into the draft?

Thanks for all of your work, look forward to your thoughts."

Here are some answers.

1. I would think you'd be able to get a late first-round pick for a team that needs a top-flight receiver. But I also can make an easy argument to keep Hopkins around too.
2. I look at free agency the same way I would every year, and that's what is actually on the market. Bottom line, until there is a coach in place (and the kind of roster you need to run his stuff), very specific personnel decisions are tough. I think they will have to make sure they sign a couple of offensive linemen just for numbers sake.
3. No idea. Let's see if he's even dealt.
4. Again, too early. Who is the coach? What offensive and defensive schemes are they running? Do they keep Zach Allen and Byron Murphy?

From Claudette Mayer:

"Hi Darren. I know a large percentage of fans would like to move on to another QB. However, I feel he is extremely talented and does have the ability to be an awesome NFL QB. With that said, I agree he needs to learn how to be a team leader. My question is how do you think the organization and new coach can accomplish this change? Is there a QB etiquette school? (Kidding) I think Kurt Warner would be a great mentor for Kyler. Thank you."

I don't get paid to come up with coaching answers. I don't know. I do think you can lead in different ways. I think playing well is the best way to lead -- or at least necessary to lead. You can be the most natural leader there is, and if you can't play, no one is going to listen.

From John Curren:

"Good morning Darren, thanks for keeping the mailbag interesting, always a good segue waiting for the season to begin again. You mentioned previously that selecting a QB with our first-round pick would be a bad idea since the QB would expect to start along with Kyler Murray. Now, with Kyler being out for possibly half the season, it wouldn't be a waste of a season to not select a reliable QB. It's unrealistic to expect a backup to fill in and keep AZ playoff bound especially in the NFC West."

OK, let's say you take a QB No. 3 overall. This is a guy who is expecting to be a franchise player. Like Kyler. One, you don't know a rookie would be as good as a quality backup in the short term, the first seven or eight games of a season -- and again, that's if Murray actually misses that much time. Second, you don't spend a draft pick, especially one that high, based only on the upcoming season. This isn't being done in a vacuum

From Chris Minton:

"Since GM and coach changes usually involve a decent amount of roster turnover, and since most of our roster is technically unsigned, do you foresee many changes to the signed roster as it currently stands (potential Hopkins trade notwithstanding)?"

It's still too early to know that. Until the coach is hired, we don't know what the schemes will look like or who they might need to fill those roles. I'll say this: Rarely does a new coach come in (especially with a new GM) and there not be at least one guy who everyone assumed was going to be a starter or main contributor and he gets either demoted or released seemingly out of the blue. That's just how these things go down, because coaches are looking for different things.

From Odie:

"Who you rooting for in the Super Bowl? I can't bring myself to root for either team, however I will root for Haason Reddick."

Well I will definitely root for Reddick, who was one of my favorite players to cover and was always good with me when I'd talk to him about his struggles finding his footing in this organization. But I suppose I'd rather see the Chiefs win. It's tough to pull for NFC teams that are in competition with the Cardinals all season long. In the end, though, I'm not losing sleep on the outcome.

From Peter Kacmar:

"How does it work with the players availability for various marketing/charity/PR events in the Valley? I can imagine they have such an obligation in their contracts but who decides which players go to which event? is there like a strict number of such appearances per season or can players apply which cause is closer to them personally?"

It is going to depend on the event. Not all of the events you might see a player at go through the Cardinals or are Cardinals-related. Usually the ones with the team that are charity are volunteer; if there is a PR or marketing event, the player is getting paid for it.