As the Arizona Cardinals focus on enhancing the fan experience with swanky stadium upgrades, changes loom on the horizon for the NFL's revenue-sharing formula—a shift that could encourage teams to hike ticket prices for the everyday fan. According to a report by Phoenix Business Journal, the NFL is expected to approve a new revenue-sharing policy for club seats and suites that may change things up for the 2025 season.
The proposed model shifts from using a specific baseline ticket price for shared revenue calculations to using the stadium's average ticket price with a 20% increase. The goal is to remove disincentives for teams to price general admission seats higher, though it may eliminate traditional cheap seats.
Meanwhile, on the field, the Cardinals' performance is in no rush to match their off-field opulence. With a current 2-4 record, their ongoing rebuild, helmed by GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon, is a practice in patience. Citing a painful reflection of his own time with the Detroit Lions, ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky shared some hard truths in an interview with AZCentral, "When I was with the Lions, we were really bad," Orlovsky said. "Everyone would always ask me, 'Why are you guys so bad and this and that,' and I'd be like, 'Dude, look at our early-round picks. We went years without hitting on first-round draft picks, second-round draft picks.'"
The draft could be the Cardinals' silver lining, with nine selections in 2023 and 12 in 2024, as per AZCentral. Despite advancements in scouting, Orlovsky stresses the importance of rebuilding through the draft—akin to an athlete preparing for a chess match in full armor—rather than overspending in free agency.
