New Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon issued an apology Tuesday for prohibited contact with general manager Monti Ossenfort prior to his hiring that led to the team having to trade third-round picks with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“It’s a mistake that we made, and the league rectified it and we’ve moved on,” Gannon said, via the team website.
The Eagles and Cardinals settled a tampering investigation in regard to Gannon’s hiring by swapping third-round selections and Arizona receiving Philadelphia’s fifth-round pick in the 2024 pick. The third-round swap saw the Eagles jump up 28 spots in the third round from pick No. 94 to pick No. 66.
It stemmed from Ossenfort violating NFL rules by calling Gannon after the Eagles won the NFC Championship Game, in which, per Gannon, he was asked if he would be interested in talking to the Cardinals if their coaching search extended past the Super Bowl.
Arizona hired Gannon as its head coach following Philadelphia’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
“I had talked to Monti before, a couple years ago (or) a year ago, so I picked up,” Gannon said. “That was impermissible contact, so that’s what it is.”
