Steve Keim was “shocked” when he saw Rodney Hudson would be released

[Rusher]

USA TODAY Sports

When news broke the Raiders were going to release center Rodney Hudson last week, it came as a surprise to many — including Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim.

“Well like everybody, I saw the news that he was potentially going to be released, which shocked me because of the type of player that I saw on tape,” Keim said during his Monday press conference.

So Keim hopped on the phone with his Raiders counterpart, Mike Mayock, and the two sides were able to finalize a trade for the three-time Pro Bowl center.

“We tried to pull the trigger extremely quick. It took a matter of minutes to get the deal done,” Keim said.

The Cardinals got Hudson and a seventh-round pick in exchange for a third-round pick, which is considerably more than the nothing Las Vegas would have gotten for releasing him. But Keim appears to feel Arizona got a player still in his prime with Hudson, who will turn 32 in July.

“I go back years ago to when I scouted him at Florida State and he’s still the same type of player that I saw there,” Keim said. “We had high grades across the board on him from [offensive line coach] Sean Kugler to our personnel department. So not only as a player what he brings to the table, but his leadership, the intangibles are really what excited us.”