You’ve got to love the new NFL, where offseason player movement is the rule rather than the exception, and perennial Pro Bowlers can find out if the grass is greener on the other franchise. 

The Arizona Cardinals are adding former Cincinnati receiver A.J. Green, giving coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray a new big-play target that will keep opposing defensive coordinators guessing and stressing.

It’s the latest move for a team that’s been as bold about retooling the top of the roster as any other in the league.

Aside from Green, the Cardinals have gone out to get J.J. Watt and, last year, DeAndre Hopkins, while moving on from talented players including David Johnson and Josh Rosen.  

The big swings come in an NFC West that has seen the Rams swap quarterback Jared Goff for Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, and the Seahawks apparently entertaining trade conversations about MVP-candidate Russell Wilson.

The approach of building through acquisitions and trades is a practice that’s spread around the league.

Last year, the Buccaneers added Tom Brady, Leonard Fournette and Rob Gronkowski — moves that ultimately helped the franchise win a Super Bowl.

It’s been fun to watch.

Conventional wisdom in the NFL has always held that the best teams build through the draft. The sport is so scheme-driven and physically taxing that it’s been seen as a huge risk to bring in talent from another team to play key roles. Many general managers have regarded trades as a way to get rid of problem players. Free agency, meanwhile, has felt like more of a tool to plug roster holes.

But that risk-averse approach largely prevented the NFL from being a year-round pastime in the same way as the NBA or even the hot-stove MLB.

Fans love to track star players and consider how their fortunes might change in different uniforms.

Building through free agency and trades doesn’t always work, though.

The Cleveland Browns made the playoffs after the 2020 season, but they haven’t gotten transformative success from additions like Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. And the New England Patriots brought in Cam Newton last year, but the club had its worst season in recent memory.

And swaps can be hard to pull off.

Aside from the potential for Wilson to move, Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason without any deals being finalized.

But there have been high-profile success stories in recent years.

The Rams in 2018 went and added Ndamukong Suh, Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib — moves that ultimately put the franchise in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers, meanwhile, added Jimmy Garoppolo and Richard Sherman — moves that ultimately put the franchise in the Super Bowl.

Maybe it’s just an example of something old becoming new again?

The Raiders became one of the NFL’s most popular clubs by fostering a culture in the 1970s and ’80s that welcomed veteran players from other teams. (Two-time Super Bowl winner Jim Plunkett was considered a cast-off from New England and San Francisco.)

The NFL’s moves this year have been all over the place.

Carson Wentz went from Philadelphia to Indianapolis. Andy Dalton went from Dallas to Chicago. And New England added a who’s who of veterans including Trent Brown and Nelson Agholor.

Don’t be surprised if the player movement continues.

Jadeveon Clowney, Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster and Sammy Watkins all could start next season in new uniforms.

In Arizona, Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim has decisions to make on guys like Patrick Peterson, Corey Peters and Brett Hundley. And there’s the open question of whether Larry Fitzgerald wants to come back.  

The moves give players, coaches, general managers and fans plenty to consider. It’s typical in the new NFL, where offseason player movement is the rule rather than the exception.

And, in Arizona, everyone should consider the grass as much greener with A.J. playing for a new franchise.

Reach Moore at [email protected]or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore.

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