NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down his punishment on the New Orleans Saints and their staff Wednesday for their three-year bounty program, suspending both Gregg Williams and head coach Sean Payton from the league for at least one year, while slapping the team with hefty fines.
How does this affect the Cardinals? Make the jump to find out.
Williams, who was suspended from the league indefinitely, has been part of some of the best defenses in football for quite some time, and recently became the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. But now the Rams are left out in the wind with Williams out, which is always music to a divisional rival's ears.
Investigation into the bounty program also showed cash rewards being placed on four quarterbacks around the league over the past few seasons including Brett Favre, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, and former Cardinal QB Kurt Warner. Warner was knocked out of the first half by the Saints defense in their 2010 divisional playoff matchup, only for him to return in the second half. He would retire after that season.
The Rams did not lose any draft picks like the Saints did, but that will mean that the Cards, along with every other team that follows the Saints in the second round, will move up a spot this year and next year.
The Cardinals do not take on the Saints next season, so the Sean Payton suspension has little affect on them.
For more on the Cardinals, head over to Revenge of the Birds.