PHOENIX — It’s easy, and perhaps even accurate given their history, to say a dark cloud hangs over the Arizona Cardinals. This is an organization that has made the playoffs only once in the last 10 NFL seasons. It’s also coming off a dismal season.
Thursday morning was different.
On a postcard day, one that makes residents feel fortunate to live here, team owner Michael Bidwill led a groundbreaking ceremony for the team’s new headquarters and performance center that’s scheduled to open in the summer of 2028. The $200 million facility, built in the shadows of the McDowell Mountains, will cover 30 acres and total more than 250,000 square feet.
Timing is everything. Since finishing 3-14 six weeks ago, the Cardinals have welcomed new head coach Mike LaFleur, which has brought the typical regime-change discussion and optimism. But a new facility, long overdue, shows greater commitment, one fans have longed to see. Strangely, it has changed the vibe, giving the Cardinals a dose of offseason momentum.
“You know, the GMs get to do their draft choices, and they hold close their cards,” Bidwill said. “The coaches get to hold close their game plans. But I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. … I’ve been looking at this property for over a decade. I wanted the best possible property for our performance center to make the multi-generational investment that we’re making.”
The facility will replace the Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center in Tempe, where the Cardinals have practiced and conducted business for 36 years. Inside the Tempe facility, you can feel the organization’s history, but maybe not in a good way. On last year’s NFL Players Association report card, the Cardinals received failing grades for their locker room and weight room. They also received a D-minus in categories of dining area, training room and team ownership.
“We have everything we need at the other facility, but having everything newer, everything bigger, nicer, all the above, I think it’s going to be roughly twice as big,” star tight end Trey McBride said before Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony. “Just more space, more room. Everything’s just going to be a little bit better.”
Among the NFL’s more underperforming franchises, the Cardinals are in transition, from facilities to coaching staff. Twenty-four hours earlier at the Tempe complex, LaFleur held his second news conference since his hire. The 38-year-old first-time head coach, who had spent the previous three seasons as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, updated reporters on recent staff additions and developments.
On the hire of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett: “He’s been very successful. He’s (highly) thought of, particularly within our profession. If you guys believe one thing from this press conference, it’s literally: I wanted him and nobody else.”
On the retention of defensive coordinator Nick Rallis from the previous staff: “I didn’t personally know Nick at all. Obviously, being in the (NFC West), you knew of Nick. He was the only person in this division you went against six times, when you think about all the coordinator changes and the head coaches. We had very honest and open dialogue, and I liked what I heard. This guy, he’s a stud, and his best days are totally in front of him. I know it’s just a great fit.”
On the status of quarterback Kyler Murray: “Just like everything else on our roster, (we’re having) open conversations right now throughout this building. No time frame on that.”
A handful of Arizona players attended Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony, but Murray was not among them.
“Today is a momentous day. It’s a momentous day in the Cardinals’ history, the city of Phoenix, the Valley and the state of Arizona.”
– Michael Bidwill pic.twitter.com/qfZWHNhnI2— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) February 19, 2026
The Cardinals relocated to Arizona in 1988 and spent their first two years practicing at a high school. Two years later, they moved into the $11 million, 94,000-square-foot Tempe facility, which at the time players called “first class” and best in the league. In the mid-1990s, director Cameron Crowe filmed scenes of “Jerry Maguire” in the Cardinals’ locker room.
Time passed. The facility aged. In 2013, the Cardinals spent $15 million on a facelift. They added an indoor practice field, expanded the cafeteria, doubled the size of the weight room and upgraded the locker room. Then-coach Bruce Arians said he could not imagine a better NFL facility, which stretched to 156,000 square feet. The feeling did not last. Now, some Arizona players had nicer locker rooms in college.
Bidwill acknowledged the franchise had outgrown the Tempe facility. He said the organization looked for the best possible solution, pledging to build the NFL’s “most state-of-the-art” training center.
The new facility will sit on a 217-acre property that was purchased at auction for $136 million. It will anchor the mixed-use development that will include restaurants and retail establishments. The football headquarters will include three natural-grass outdoor fields and a fieldhouse with a full-size turf field. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego joked that LaFleur had guaranteed her a Super Bowl appearance once the training center opened.
Sitting onstage, LaFleur laughed and shook his head. Not much later, the Arizona coach was more realistic. He said the new facility won’t guarantee anything, but it will give the Cardinals a chance to put their “best foot forward” on Sundays. Translation: Perhaps the light at the end of the tunnel is near.
“Everyone loves the sun; everyone loves being in Arizona as a whole,” star safety Budda Baker said. “To have a state-of-the-art facility like this will not only do great things for the community but also the players as well. (But) at the end of the day, we got to put it on the field and try our best and get W’s from there.”