Former Cardinals GM Steve Keim talks Hopkins, Murray, more on Chris Long podcast

Former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim taped a segment with former NFL player Chris Long on the Green Light podcast that aired Thursday, but Keim was not asked about his involvement in an alleged cheating scandal brought to light earlier this week by former Cardinals executive Terry McDonough.

In an arbitration claim filed Tuesday to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, McDonough accused Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill of gross misconduct, including cheating, discrimination and harassment. The grievance includes an allegation that both McDonough and former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks were coerced by Bidwill into using burner phones to communicate with Keim during Keim’s five-week suspension in the summer of 2018 after pleading guilty to extreme DUI in Chandler.

McDonough claims he still has the phone, which he says contains evidence of the cheating scandal in addition to other documentation.

Keim spent his entire 24-year NFL career with the Cardinals, including the past 10 seasons as GM until he stepped down after last season and, according to Bidwill, resigned from the organization.

During his appearance with Long, the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, Keim said, among other things, that he has been approached by some clubs about possibly being hired as a consultant. He also revealed that he will be working for FOX Sports alongside analyst Jay Glazer during the upcoming NFL draft on April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.

“I’ve had some teams talk to me about being a consultant and that sort of thing,” Keim said. “Right now, I’m just trying to relax, spend time with the kids, relax, travel a little bit. For 25 years I didn’t get to do a lot of things, so I’m trying to challenge myself to get out there and do some different things and see if I can have fun.

“But football is still in my blood.”

Report: Former Arizona Cardinals exec files grievance against owner Michael Bidwill

Though the McDonough arbitration case was never mentioned, Keim was asked about multiple other topics, including the Cardinals’ poor ratings in a recent player poll conducted by the NFL Players Association. That poll included F- grades for food service/nutrition, weight room and training room and an F rating for the locker room.

“Our stuff was functional,” Keim said, jokingly adding, “When Rocky beat Drago, how did he train?”

Other highlights from Keim’s appearance on Long’s podcast included:

*Some thoughts on Kyler Murray and whether Murray is a top 8 quarterback in the league: “Yeah, I mean when you draft a guy No. 1 and you put all your eggs in that basket and the first year he’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and the second year he’s a Pro Bowler and the third year he’s a Pro Bowler, you’ve got to think he’s heading in the right direction.

“I just thought he kept getting better and better and better. There’s just some times of inconsistency with him. Obviously, the (5-foot-10) height hurts him at times, seeing over the line and processing and seeing the field. But at the same time, he’s just a tremendous talent. The stuff he does you see in practice and some games, he’s just off the charts. I think it’s just putting it together and playing consistent football for four quarters.”

*On outside perceptions of Murray, including talk of his supposedly bad study habits:“He still needs to grow and again, it’s not slanted toward his character. He’s not a bad guy; he’s a really good kid, has a good smile and has a nice way about him. I think it’s like anything – guys have to continue to learn what it’s going to take to be great. Does he know what Peyton Manning and Tom Brady knows what it takes to be great? No. Does he work? He does work. I think it’s just that side of the game – the film study, the attention to detail part – that he can continue to improve upon and I think he will.

“Because Kyler’s a proud guy, man. He doesn’t want to lose, and he doesn’t want to let people down. I think his best ball’s ahead of him.”

*On where the Cardinals may stand now regarding a potential trade of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and whether a second-round pick or more in return is feasible: “Here’s the problem: The problem is his current contract. I think it’s $30 million in (salary) cap, it’s $20 million in cash. So those pose some serious problems to teams, particularly teams who probably have a quarterback and it’s taking up a large number of the cap itself.

“So teams are going to No.1, have to be creative, and I’m guessing the Cardinals are going to have to figure it out from the standpoint that a player of that magnitude – No.1, I think he’s 33 years old (Hopkins turns 31 on June 6) and 2, the contract, and you think to yourself he’s been hurt the last couple years. So they’re probably going to have to come to understand that they’re not going to get as much as they would if he was a younger player or his contract was considerably lower where you could get him for a second-round pick or maybe a third-rounder. It may end up being a second or third-day draft pick to really get it done.”

More: Cardinals' Michael Bidwill joins long list of NFL owners with off-field accusations

*On his time with the Cardinals and being their GM: “When you get in that chair, things are a lot different. There’s no manual that you sit down at your desk to read that says, ‘Here’s how you become a GM.’ A lot of the stuff you have to learn on the fly and you have to make some tough decisions and make some mistakes to learn your lessons the hard way. I certainly went through that phase.

“I remember going up to my desk after I was introduced as GM in our press conference and I remember sitting down at my desk and outing my hands on my head and thinking, ‘What the (expletive) do I do know?’ And I truly felt that way. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do because I was in the moment, there was a lot of pressure and I had to flip a 4-11 (actually 5-11) team around.”

*On former Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, one of the top 10 prospects in this month’s draft, refusing on the advice of his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to hold private meetings with teams who don’t have one of the Top 10 picks: “I probably would have not limited it to the top 10 because, as you know, you never can forecast where a guy is going to go or if some teams have him off their board, particularly picking in the Top 10 after a guy maybe made a mistake or got into some trouble.

“… It could hurt him more than it could help him.”

*On taking a risk on drafting a prospect who has had some off-the-field issues: “In Arizona, I drafted Robert Nkemdiche with the 26^th pick overall who we thought was a Top 10 talent and there were some concerns and questions about him coming out. At the end of the day really, the guy just, in my opinion, didn’t love football enough. He didn’t succeed or play at a high level because he was in love with the process of going through the draft, being the top pick, getting money. But when it was time to grind, that wasn’t his focus.”

Read more: Terry McDonough might be a jerk, but that doesn't mean he's wrong about Cardinals

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Steve Keim speaks publicly for first time since leaving Cardinals