Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon explains philosophy for 2025 rookie minicamp
Gannon’s approach is all about getting rookies ready to take the field with veterans in full-team workouts
The Arizona Cardinals opened rookie minicamp this week and it included a roster of only 13 players. It included only their seven draft picks and six rookie free agents they signed following the 2025 NFL draft. It did not include scores of other players on tryouts.
The Cardinals do it differently. Head coach Jonathan Gannon explained why.
He said there isn’t “one right or wrong way to do it” but that the Cardinals, as a team have “a couple things that we want to get out of it.”
He admitted that, in his third year running a rookie camp, “this year it looks a little different, but hopefully for the players’ best interest.”
Gannon understands the tough situation rookies enter.
“They’re in the building for the first time in a new city for the first time,” he said, noting the high levels of stress they have as they start their NFL career. “Their cortisol levels are high right now, so I’m not trying to kill them, but I do want them to acclimate with how we do things because on Monday they’re going to jump in with the vets and I don’t want them to stick out not knowing what to do.
“So they’ve got to get caught up to speed pretty quickly here.”
They reported to camp on Thursday. They were in the building for meetings and get two days on the field for practice Friday and Saturday before closing Sunday in the building.
Following the weekend, they have two weeks of Phase 2 of the offseason program before three weeks of OTAs and minicamp.
The Cardinals already have identified these players as guys they want on their team. Rather that purposely overwhelm them, they instead set up things in a way that will allow them to have a chance to be successful when they take the field with all their veteran teammates.
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