The Cardinals knew something was up with Pat Tillman in the spring of 2002. They just didn’t know what, and Tillman wasn’t providing much information.
That was unusual because Tillman was close to several Cardinals employees, including coach Dave McGinnis and defensive coordinator Larry Marmie.
For weeks, the Cardinals had a three-year, $36-million offer on the table for Tillman, yet he hadn’t signed it. It was perplexing because Tillman’s roots in Arizona were deep, and he remained appreciative that the Cardinals took a chance by drafting him in the seventh round in 1998.
“The Cardinals were super with him,” Tillman’s agent, Frank Bauer, said at the time.