Cardinals GM Steve Keim taking indefinite leave of absence due to health issues

Arizona general manager Steve Keim is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team due to health-related issues, the Cardinals announced Wednesday.

Keim's duties will be handled by vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris and vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson while he's away. The team declined to provide any additional comment on Keim's status.

It is another blow to the Cardinals amid a demoralizing season. The team was 4-9 with Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury likely on the hot seat, but then star quarterback Kyler Murray was ruled out for the season after he tore an ACL in last week's loss to the New England Patriots.

Keim has been the Cardinals' top football decision-maker since 2013. He started with the organization as a regional scout back in 1999 after a short pro career, then moved up to director of college scouting, director of player personnel and vice president of player personnel before his current role.

Keim's tenure as general manager has seen the team go through three head coaches and even more starting quarterbacks, but it also holds a 80-76-2 record in that span. Cardinals ownership gave Keim and Kingsbury a vote of confidence in March with matching five-year extensions, but the team's outlook has since changed.

This won't be Keim's first time away from the team, as he was suspended by the Cardinals for five weeks in 2018 after an arrest for extreme DUI.