Former Cardinals QB Hitting Free Agency

Ridder first entered the league as a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft with the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent the first two years of his career before being traded to Arizona ahead of last season for receiver Rondale Moore.

The Cardinals wanted an experienced mobile quarterback to sit behind Kyler Murray, and with Ridder having 17 starts under his belt, he fit the mold Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort was looking for.

Ridder failed to impress in training camp and lost the backup job to Clayton Tune - which saw him cut ahead of the regular season. He was then re-signed to Arizona's practice squad.

“You’d like to get some first downs, but that’s just not on the quarterback," Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said of Ridder after a preseason game.

"That’s on everybody. He’s not blocking for himself and he’s not running routes for himself. I think as a whole we have to do a little bit better.”  

Ridder never played for Arizona, as he was signed to the Raiders' practice squad in October.

Ridder played in six games for Las Vegas with one start, completing 61.2% of his passes for 458 yards and two touchdowns/two interceptions. He also rushed nine times for 36 yards.

Now, with Las Vegas hoping for more answers at quarterback, Ridder will not be tendered - which would have allowed the Raiders to match any offer he got in free agency.

The Cardinals themselves just might be in the market to bring Ridder back, though that doesn't seem like their top option.

Previously, Ossenfort spoke with reporters at the Combine and offered the following on potentially upgrading the quarterback position - you can read more about that here.