Cardinals Announce Extensions For HC Bruce Arians & GM Steve Keim

Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill announced Monday that they’ve signed GM Steve Keim and HC Bruce Arians to a contract extensions that will keep them with the team through 2018.

Cards Pres Michael Bidwill announces new deals for GM Steve Keim & HC @BruceArians. Now under contract thru ’18 pic.twitter.com/B08MwPKA9z

— Mark Dalton (@CardsMarkD) February 23, 2015

Bidwill said in a statement released a statement regarding the new extensions:

“Two years ago we hired Steve and Bruce a few days apart and believed we had something really special. Every day since then they have validated that belief. The team’s performance over the last two seasons certainly reflects how talented they are in their respective roles and it was important that we reward them for their accomplishments.

“I speak not only for myself but all Cardinals fans when I say how thrilled we all are that Steve and Bruce are now under contract though 2018.”

Bidwell had said previously that the deals would be announced at some point in the near future, so this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Kent Somers reports that the Cardinals have included options in the fifth year of Arians and Keim’s agreement, so they could be under team control though 2019.

There’s no question that both Keim and Arians have earned new contracts after what they’ve managed to do in the past two years.

Arians won his second Coach of the Year award in 2014 and Keim has done a good job of adding some young talent in recent years.

In two years in charge of the Cardinals, Keim and Arians have led the team to a record of 21-11 (65.6 percent) and a playoff appearance, despite dealing with as much adversity as any team in the league.