Rondale Moore Knew Cardinals Would Trade Him

Former Arizona Cardinals WR Rondale Moore says he was in communication with GM Monti Ossenfort.

October 15, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- Atlanta Falcons WR Rondale Moore hasn't been with the Arizona Cardinals for months following the transaction that sent Moore to Atlanta in exchange for Falcons QB Desmond Ridder, providing NFL fans with a rare player-for-player swap back in March.

After years of failed usage in Arizona under prior offensive mind Kliff Kingsbury, new Cardinals play-caller Drew Petzing tried to utilize Moore in a more effective way.

Moore's numbers from 2023 closely mirror his previous two campaigns. With Marvin Harrison Jr. incoming and backup slot receiver Greg Dortch earning more respect by the week, Moore was about to see less of the football, too.

For those on the outside, the trade was still a bit surprising.

For Moore, he told Falcons on SI's Daniel Flick he was in constant communication with Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort during the process.

"When Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot called Moore's phone after finalizing the trade, he heard several rings before landing on voicemail," Flick wrote.

"The reason? Moore was in the middle of a workout. The trade wasn't a surprise to Moore, who said he'd been in communication with Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort.

"Upon getting back to his phone, Moore saw a message from Ossenfort, who became his first call after completing the workout."

It's good to see Ossenfort and the Cardinals didn't keep Moore in the dark about their plans or intentions - that was a theme recently shared by Arizona linebacker Zaven Collins during his recent press conference.

Collins initially had his fifth-year option declined prior to just signing a two-year extension.

"I can't thank him [Ossenfort], Mr. Bidwill, and JG [Jonathan Gannon] enough for how everything's gone. Even whenever I was declined, they brought me in and said, 'hey, we're not gonna pick up the option.' I was like, 'I appreciate you guys for telling me in person. If you're going to tell me no, that's the biggest thing for me.' And that's what happened," said Collins.

You can read more from Collins here.

As for Moore, he's apparently making an impression in the early stages of his new opportunity.

Though he's currently running with the backups during Falcons training camp, Atlanta's staff sees serious potential in their new toy:

"Rondale might be one of the faster humans in the National Football League," receivers coach Ike Hilliard said previously.

"We just need him to continue to grow and progress in this offense -- that'll be huge for all of us, just so he can establish himself and carve out a role that is significant to what we try to put on tape."