The Arizona Cardinals failed to come anywhere close to expectations in their third season under the current regime.
A case-by-case look into who’s on the hot seat and what the end result might be once the offseason takes hold. After evaluating general manager Monti Ossenfort, it’s onto the guy he put in charge:
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon
Sure, the “fire in your gut” speech at his first training camp in charge made the rounds on social media. Same with his “pew pews, shots, explosives.”
But for the first two seasons under Gannon, things at least were trending up.
That culture and foundation Arizona was desperately missing after the previous regime’s epic collapse had been found. There was no more holding your breath for the next off-the-field issue to pop up, either.
Most of all, Arizona was showing growth in the win-loss column, doubling up Ws from Year 1 (four) to Year 2 (eight).
Then came the 2025 wall.
Even with two wins under their belt to start the season, the cracks in the Cardinals’ armor were clear and concerning.
The once run-first offense hasn’t replicated anything close to the same success seen the past two seasons.
Defensively, the revamped unit was getting beat late in countless close losses early on.
The floodgates have since been wide open on that front, with five of the team’s last eight games (all losses) resulting in the defense giving up at least 30 points.
Three of those lopsided defeats came against the NFC West, too, highlighted by two 40 burgers allowed by the defense.
For a team ran by a defensive-minded head coach, the Cardinals are simply not cutting it on that side of the ball like they should. That’s a massive black eye for Gannon.
He does, however, have avenues to consider in keeping his job.
From a defensive standpoint, taking over playcalling duties is at least a start. After all, that was one of the primary reasons Gannon was brought in following a trip to the Super Bowl with Philadelphia.
Want to compete for your role (as Gannon has said time and time again)? That’s one way to do it.
Gannon can even go a step further and move on from defensive coordinator Nick Rallis as a massive change that could buy the head coach more time.
But if he does, he must find a replacement who is much more seasoned at the position.
Offensively, it’s beyond time for a good hard look at offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and quarterback Kyler Murray.
It feels like a given Murray heads elsewhere this offseason if the current regime largely remains intact. A change at coordinator seems necessary and obvious, too.
Now if Ossenfort gets the boot this offseason, Gannon and his coaching staff are surely to follow. A hard reset at the top is going to clear out most of the cupboards below it.
But with Ossenfort looking like he’s returning for another season, Gannon could very well find himself back in the head-coaching seat come 2026.
For JG, it comes down to two major questions:
– Is he truly the man for the job after taking the arrow in the forehead time and time again while seeing little to no improvements on the field in what was supposed to be a playoff-caliber season?
– How much success can Ossenfort and Co. really anticipate next year if another house cleaning takes place just three seasons after the last one?
It’s a rock-and-a-hard-place type conversation fans have been having for months as the Cardinals enter their season finale at 3-13.
And while a spirited argument can be made on whether or not Gannon should remain in charge, I’m leaning toward the head coach getting one more chance in Arizona, albeit with a very different coaching staff below him.
His comments and attitude saying he “absolutely” expects to return while speaking with Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Monday add to the staying side of the coin for Gannon.
“I feel really good (about my future with the organization). … I talk with Monti and Michael every week, man, those conversations have been good.”
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told @BurnsAndGambo he “absolutely” expects to be back in 2026. pic.twitter.com/SKXDUbuxtk
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 30, 2025
The leash is going to be mightily short, though. If no turnaround is evident early into next season, his time is likely up.
Return percentage: 60%
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