Bidwill has been able to get a head start in meeting specific candidates with the league’s accelerator program, which has brought together top minority owners and women in the staff and coaching ranks at league meetings twice in the past year to diversify the team’s rental pool.
The Cardinals have reportedly already asked four GM candidates for permission: Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters, 49ers pro hiring manager Ran Carthon, and Titans player hiring manager Monti Ossenfort.
On the other hand, the Titans have reportedly asked permission to speak to Harris about their vacant GM post. Both Harris and Wilson have applied for multiple GM jobs in the past.
Bidwill declined to name any candidates other than the internal ones. When asked about his financial means to hire a high-profile trainer, Bidwill said he wanted the “best trainer and the best GM.”
“I don’t know if the biggest name correlates with the best manager,” he said.
He also said absorbing Kingsbury’s contract extension, which was just signed about a year ago, would not be a factor.
“Nobody here just pushes the simple button and says let’s keep this thing going,” Bidwill said. “We will live with the financial consequences.”
Bidwill has received advice on candidates from across the league. He has also spoken or will speak to a handful of team leaders, including quarterback Kyler Murray. The discussions he’s already had have led to a desire to support the culture both in the dressing room and in the organization, Bidwill noted.
“It was pretty crazy with everything on and off the field,” defenseman Zach Allen said Monday morning as players emptied their lockers. “Hopefully we can clear this all up.
“There were definitely too many distractions.”
Bidwill left his options open. He said he doesn’t care if it’s an offense coach or a defensive coach. He didn’t care if it’s a CEO guy or a head coach who wants to name games. He sees no need to say that one or the other absolutely has to have staff control because he would prefer a “true partnership” between GM and coach.
There’s plenty to do, with 30+ free agents and a bunch of salary caps to overcome. But it all started with a clean slate on Monday, and before the news broke, that was the question for the players in the dressing room – whether they wanted a change.
“I want to play good football and turn it around,” said running back James Conner. “That’s what I want to do.”