The Cardinals wanted another cornerback. Dre Kirkpatrick needed a team. But what sealed the deal was a prior relationship.
"I had teams calling, but I was just weighing all my options," Kirkpatrick said Sunday. "Obviously you guys know I have a great relationship with V.J. (Vance Joseph), and when the time came, I just felt like I was going to go out there and go with the guy I know best."
Kirkpatrick and Joseph, the Cardinals' defensive coordinator, overlapped in Cincinnati for two years. Kirkpatrick, 30, spent eight years there. Joseph was the defensive backs coach, and though he was just there in 2014 and 2015, the two kept in touch.