Rumblings leading up to Week 18 pointed to Jonathan Gannon being safe, but the Cardinals’ woeful season will result in a major change. Gannon is out, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The move is now official.
The Cardinals are retaining GM Monti Ossenfort, as expected. He will lead the search for Gannon’s replacement. Arizona hired Gannon and Ossenfort together in 2023, but the franchise has a history of giving its GMs much longer leashes. The Cardinals retained both Steve Keim and Rod Graves for 10 years apiece in that role, and Ossenfort will see a fourth.
Reports of Gannon being squarely in play to stay may not have been too far off-base; NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates the Cardinals showing more fight down the stretch could have saved the HC’s job. As a defensive coach, however, Gannon presided over a decline on that side of the ball. The Cardinals’ 3-14 season also included nine straight losses to close the show.
Allowing a coach to return after three non-playoff seasons is rare enough in the modern NFL, but doing so after separate seasons of fewer than five wins is nearly unheard of. The Cards went 4-13 in the first Gannon-Ossenfort year, and after an 8-9 2024 season, they slunk to 3-14 in a formidable NFC West. While Ossenfort will have a chance to bounce back, the Cardinals have plenty of questions to answer in Year 4 of the GM’s rebuild effort.
The NFL handed the Cardinals a tampering penalty — via a drop in the 2023 draft — for impermissible Gannon contact during that interview process, but he was coming off a two-year run as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. While the Eagles struggled mightily in Super Bowl LVII, Gannon had a deal in place with the Cardinals and headed west immediately following that close loss. Arizona’s defense made strides under Gannon and Nick Rallis in 2024, rising to 12th in points allowed and 15th in yardage. This season, however, brought a steep drop. The Cards finished 23rd in scoring and 29th in yardage, sealing Gannon’s fate.
Arizona committed more resources to its defense after fielding a skeleton crew in the wake of J.J. Watt, Zach Allen and Byron Murphy‘s 2023 departures. The Cardinals gave Josh Sweat a big-ticket deal in free agency and used first-round picks on defensive linemen Walter Nolen and Darius Robinson to go with multiple second-round picks on cornerbacks over the past two years. The team also added Dalvin Tomlinson and brought back Calais Campbell this past offseason. The end result, even with some solid individual efforts, was not good enough.
While Michael Bidwill gave Kliff Kingsbury four seasons (No. 4 coming after an extension), Gannon is out without the opportunity to oversee a quarterback his regime identified. Gannon and Ossenfort had consistently sung praises for Kingsbury-Keim-era QB Kyler Murray — until this year. Murray’s early-season foot injury did not produce a return, as the Cardinals effectively parked the former Pro Bowler on IR and allowed Jacoby Brissett to finish out the year. The team is widely expected to move on from its seven-year starter — by trade or release — rather than see a chunk of his 2027 salary become guaranteed.
A spree of close losses dropped the Cardinals out of contention this season, but Gannon’s defense caved in as the year progressed. The team allowed at least 37 points in four its final five games and six times total during the nine-game season-closing skid. Arizona lost six games by at least three scores during this seminal stretch, one that will lead Ossenfort and Bidwill to the drawing board.
The Cardinals did allow the 42-year-old coach the chance to inform the team he had been fired, per ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss, but it will be difficult to envision him landing on this year’s HC carousel after his showing in the desert. A host of defensive coordinators will be up for HC jobs as the 2026 carousel starts, and Gannon may be a candidate to replace one of them. Two seasons remain on Gannon’s five-year contract, introducing the scenario in which Bidwill pays three HCs. That was viewed as a potential impediment, but the owner will follow through and replace Gannon anyway.
Replacing Murray will be tops on Ossenfort’s to-do list. He and Gannon inherited the former No. 1 overall pick shortly after he had suffered an ACL tear. Murray showed signs of his former self in 2024, ranking ninth in QBR and starting 17 games for the first time in his career. Never quite meshing with OC Drew Petzing, Murray is far removed from his Pro Bowl seasons (2020, 2021). He played just five games in his age-28 season.
The Giants gave Brian Daboll a chance to identify his own QB (Jaxson Dart), but he was largely fired after being saddled with a prior regime’s investment (Daniel Jones). Gannon did not get that far. He now joins Daboll, Brian Callahan, Pete Carroll and Kevin Stefanski on this year’s HC chopping block.
Thank goodness, I hate to cheer to a guy to lose his job but something has to change.
I liked him when he first got that job, but the more time went on, it was apparent he was another guy way in over his head.
Not saying Arizona was wrong to make a change–especially after the collapse this year, injuries or not–but he also showed some impressive scheming with lackluster talent, especially last year. He’d be a solid DC hire somewhere.
Lol amazing. The guy inherited a dumpster fire.
Feel bad for the Eagles who came over with him. He’d make perfect sense for Cleveland.
Almost thought he was safe. Very interesting coaching caurosel this year. Falcons Giants Raiders Browns Cardinals all open
If the Jets grandkids can use Madden for trades, I can use Madden play books for a HC job. I can take the media heat for guaranteed contract for a year or two.
Same
What’s a head coach anymore? In Philadelphia they call our guy a CEO HC. That’s code for front office puppet. He’s only as good as his D and O coordinators regardless of the regular season records each year and five straight playoff seasons…He is Rich Kotite reborn. The secret in Philadelphia to being a HC is…
Get a HC job and hire two 60 plus year old coordinators with previous HC experience on either side of the ball and you’ll look great. So far Philly has done that on the defensive side but the offensive side has annual turnover at the OC role. Maybe Pete Carroll will call plays next year and Nick can text about college football, Christmas gifts and practice music playlists with the players. That’s what all the good HCs do right? I’d be an NFL coach on a two year deal for 5 mil a year and incentives, $50k per win, $150k for making the playoffs, $200k for every playoff win and $10 mil for a Super Bowl win bc no one would believe I could do it so I’m betting on myself. I don’t want to manage contracts, I don’t want to be your friend and I’m crisis media relations trained professional and experienced so bring it on. The fans and media would love me. Think Buddy Ryan 2.0.
Good, what a clown. He screwed the Eagles by not game planning for SB 57 and cost them Fangio. Couldn’t be happier.
You are half right. They didnt defend the usual, Reid pick plays very well but the groundskeepers screwed the field up, neutralizing their pass rush, for that SB.
Yea I’ll never feel good about someone losing their job (except for conduct reasons) Gannon is about as close to an exception as I’ll make.
I’m assuming you’re too young to have lived through Rich Kotite. In Gannon’s case, I was just happy Arizona took him off our hands. You know Nick wouldn’t have shown him the door.
Born in 86 so I remember it but I wasn’t locked in.
Rich Kotite is a scar for life as an Eagles fan. What a mistake and a waste of a coach during so many star player’s prime. The man was embarrassing as a HC.
Nick is a yes man and too much of a players coach with no ability to grab the wheel when the offense is stalling and make adjustments either with or for his O coordinator. The only thing that is saving Nick right now is Vic Fangio. He’s great at what he does as a D coordinator and probably the only adult in the room not interested in chumming it up with the players. Nick should have been shown the door in 2023 when his team was exposed and his HC abilities resembled those of Rich Kotite.
And the tampering thing, if I were Nick or better yet Howie, I’d have told him that he was relieved of his duties immediately, regardless of the Super Bowl if he took any meetings other than Eagles team meetings that week or during the playoffs. Focus or get out so we can have someone focus on what is important to the franchise not your career.
He needed to go.
He never got off on the right foot with the Cardinals, I thought he was going to get another year, but alas …not happening!
Once he hit his player … the team tuned out.
Well, the shoe has dropped, with an overpaid mini me QB, a bad defense, blown draft picks, playing noncompetitive football the last 5 weeks of the season, did this firing really surprise anyone, only surprise is that Bidwell did not fire the GM also. This GM has to be on the hotseat now, he better make the right decisions with the number three pick in the draft, a HC choice. Bidwell is now paying three HC’s contracts off. Looking for a quick turnaround HC, ala Chicago, Washington, Jacksonville, don’t expect this from the Cardinals, way too many holes to fill beginning with ownership at the crutch of the problem.
Brutal day for coaches.
guess this is what happens when you have a center fielder playing quarterback
Not sticking up for Kyler but Gannon went 15-36 overall
13-17 with Kyler
2-19 without Kyler
Kyler’s issue is health. 21 games in 3 seasons is a ton
15-36 wrapped up by a 3-14 season is going to lead to unemployment.
Kyle Murray … coach killer and he will be back.
Dallas next DC
Would be a huge upgrade over EberLose, and use both those 1st rounders on defense, u still got q, osa and Clark on the d tackle rotation, perfect for the 4-3 he runs
While there may be improvement, I don’t think it’ll be as dramatic as you may hope. The Cowboys were going to bad in switching to Eberflus’ scheme, but I’ve always thought that Gannon actually underachieved in Philly with the talent that he had. That underhanded tampering was just the seal on the deal, but if you remember, there were a few public criticisms of his defense before that, too.
I actually said the same thing the moment he was fired.
Jerry has a thing for his DCs to be former HCs
Gannon with Kyler at a QB
13-17
Without Kyler at QB
2-19.
Jacoby played way better than Murray did this year
Jacoby was 1-11 as the starter. Kyler was 2-3. Should’ve been 3-2 if not for the ridiculous fumble against Tenn by their RB. So I don’t know what Jacoby did better. Twice as many starts. 1 less win.
I know football head coaches aren’t the most demonstrative of people but Gannon came across as completely unlikeable with a personality like cardboard.