Arizona Cardinals Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals, Lions Request Interviews With Vikings’ Pat Shurmur

January 1st, 2018 at 12:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both the Cardinals and Lions came out of Monday morning with coaching vacancies, and the architect of the Vikings’ offense is on the teams’ list.

The Vikings have a first-round bye, and that’s opened the door for the Cardinals and Lions to submit requests to interview Pat Shurmur for their HC positions, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report (Twitter links).

Shurmur’s work in helping the Vikings be an upper-echelon offense despite the keys being in journeyman Case Keenum‘s hands this season undoubtedly made the second-year Minnesota OC an attractive HC candidate.

The 52-year-old Shurmur has two years of head-coaching experience as well, leading the Browns from 2011-12. He’s been an OC with the Rams and Eagles as well and is only in his first season as the Vikings’ full-time offensive leader. Norv Turner‘s departure midway through last season resulted in Shurmur becoming the Vikes’ interim OC. Minnesota took the interim tag off that label after 2016, and the Keenum-piloted Vikings are one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LII.

Bears, Cardinals Setting Up HC Interviews With Eagles’ John DeFilippo

January 1st, 2018 at 12:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

After firing John Fox, the Bears are moving fast into the interview process to replace him. The team is setting up a meeting with Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

The Cardinals are joining the fray as well. Minutes after Bruce Arians officially announced his retirement, a Cardinals request to interview DeFilippo for their HC job emerged, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. While the Bears are going to be competition, Ian Rapoport notes (on Twitter) Cards GM Steve Keim has had DeFilippo on his radar for a while.

The interview is expected to occur later this week, per Garofolo. DeFilippo has served in his current role since 2016, and in that time Carson Wentz transformed from Division I-FCS quarterback prospect to one-time MVP frontrunner.

Wentz threw 33 touchdown passes — an Eagles single-season record — in 13 games, and the 39-year-old DeFilippo will have a chance to vault two rungs on the NFL ladder largely because of the North Dakota State’s progress. DeFilippo did serve as the Browns’ OC but did so for one season (2015) before that staff was broken up, routing him to Philadelphia.

Bruce Arians Announces Retirement

January 1st, 2018 at 12:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals will be looking for a new coach. Bruce Arians announced he will conclude his five-season tenure in Arizona and retire from the profession.

Michael Bidwill said (via Kent Somers of AZCentral.com, on Twitter) Arians informed him of this decision on Sunday. The search for Arians’ successor will begin immediately.

The 65-year-old Arians has been a coach for more than 40 years and first coached in the NFL in 1989. Only five of those seasons came as an NFL head coach, but Arians spent nine seasons as an offensive coordinator in the league — the last of which (2012) earned him the long-awaited opportunity to lead a team.

In Arizona, Arians steered the Cardinals to two playoff berths. The 2015 season was his unquestioned masterpiece, with the Cardinals gliding to the NFC championship game. He will finish with a record of 49-30-1.

Arians cemented himself as a high-end coaching candidate by winning NFL coach of the year honors leading the 2012 coach while Chuck Pagano underwent cancer treatment. Prior to that season, Arians operated as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator during a period that saw the franchise win its sixth championship (2008) and reach its most recent Super Bowl (in 2010).

Arians coached Carson Palmer during his entire Arizona stint, one that revived his career, and his offense helped Larry Fitzgerald further place himself among the league’s all-time greats at his position. Neither are guaranteed to return in 2018, so this decision could be a seminal one regarding how the Cards’ cornerstone players proceed.

Bruce Arians Expected To Retire

January 1st, 2018 at 10:40am CST by Micah Powell

Ending weeks of speculation, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians is expected to retire, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (Twitter link).

In five seasons with the team, Arians went 49-30-1 and cracked 10 wins with Arizona in each of his first three seasons. In July, Arians said he would like to finish out his contract with the team that ran through 2018 with a team option for 2019.

“I hope not,” said Arians when asked if 2017 could be his last season (via ESPN.com). “That’s going to mean I’m not healthy.”

Health concerns have been at the forefront of Arians’ tenure in Arizona. In 2016, he was hospitalized with symptoms of diverticulitis, and in February he had surgery to remove a cancerous piece of his kidney.

Arians gained fame for his work with quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. In 2012, he filled in for Colts head coach Chuck Pagano after he was diagnosed with leukemia and powered the team to an 9-3 mark down the stretch and helped Indy secure a playoff spot. The following year, Arians took the job in Arizona and turned the 5-11 team from 2012 into a 10-win team in his first season. He then advanced to the playoffs in each of the following two seasons.

Coaching Notes: Gruden, Lewis, Joseph

December 31st, 2017 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders‘ firing of Jack Del Rio less than a year after signing him to an extension would have come as a shock at this season’s outset, when the team was picked by most to win the AFC West. But now that Jon Gruden‘s name is in the mix, the franchise is operating like it has a real shot to lure him back to Oakland.

In firing Del Rio, the Raiders are confident they can bring Gruden back to Oakland, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Raiders doing this looks indeed to be for a Gruden landing, with Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News hearing (Twitter link) the Gruden buzz is legitimate. This comes shortly after Gruden’s name was connected with the Buccaneers. But the Bucs kept Dirk Koetter after a less successful tenure compared to Del Rio’s Oakland run. The Gruden noise appears louder regarding the Raiders. He was the most recent coach to receive a four-year opportunity coaching the Silver and Black, doing so from 1998-2001 prior to being traded to the Bucs in early 2002.

Here’s the latest from the coaching carousel.

Marvin Lewis‘ Bengals played a spoiler in Week 17, knocking the Ravens out of the playoffs. The coach’s future in Cincinnati remains murky, however, as his contract expires. Lewis made an interesting comment postgame regarding his status. When asked if he would accept Mike Brown‘s offer to remain the Bengals’ HC in 2018, Lewis replied (via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com), “It’s a little more complicated than that.” A report emerged last week about Lewis stepping down from his 15-year post. He has yet to confirm that.
Vance Joseph‘s Broncos tenure is also up in the air. However, the rookie head coach said he “absolutely” expects to be the team’s coach in 2018 and said (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, on Twitter) he has not been informed of a decision yet. Joseph said he will meet with John Elway tonight or Monday. The Broncos have never fired a coach after one season. However, this is only the second time in 27 seasons they’ve won five or fewer games. Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter) Elway will not make the decision tonight, planning to sleep on it. Klis adds that it shouldn’t be a surprise if Joseph is given a second season.
Bruce Arians met with Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill on Sunday morning, Laura Okmin of Fox Sports reports, adding a decision on whether or not he will step down could come by New Year’s Day (Twitter link). Arians has said himself his decision could come as soon as Monday, or as late as February, although Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes he’s likely to leave.

Bruce Arians Likely To Step Away, But Cardinals Will Try To Convince Him To Return

December 31st, 2017 at 9:54am CST by Rory Parks

Rapoport tweets that the Cardinals have not given up hope of enticing head coach Bruce Arians to return, though ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Arians is likely to step away from coaching after Arizona’s season finale today.

Cardinals Were Interested In Todd Bowles?

December 30th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets‘ Todd Bowles extension talks may have begun as recently as late December, with Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reporting Jets CEO Christopher Johnson opting to be proactive instead of letting Bowles enter a walk year and opening the door to other teams’ overtures. Specifically, Cimini writes that speculation about a Bowles/Cardinals reunion swirled for months. Bruce Arians will make a decision about his future in the offseason, but Bowles excelled as Arizona’s DC before coming to New York. Cimini also notes the Buccaneers, who are keeping Dirk Koetter for 2018, were a team the Jets knew would’ve been interested.

Breer’s Latest: Black Monday Preview

December 28th, 2017 at 9:31am CST by GregGoldstein

With the final week of the NFL’s regular season approaching, that only means two things; 12 teams will soon be focusing on reaching the Super Bowl, while the rest will start to look ahead to next season. One major part of looking forward is addressing who on the coaching staff will be returning in 2018. Many of these coaching questions are answered on the day following Week’s 17 conclusion, conveniently called “Black Monday”.

Veteran reporter Albert of Breer of Sports Illustrated, gave a preview of the coaches he expects to stay and the ones that will likely be shown the door in his most recent column. Breer ranked the potential firings as “Likely/Done”, “We’ll See”, and “It’s Complicated”. In total, there were 15 head coaches mentioned who could see their situations change starting next week.

Here’s a quick look at Breer’s takes on some of the league’s hottest coaching questions:

There were five head coaches included in the “likely/done” category including: Bears‘ John Fox, Bengals‘ Marvin Lewis, Lions‘ Jim Caldwell, Colts‘ Chuck Pagano and and the Giants‘ interim coach Steve Spagnuolo. The four full-time head coaches on this list have all had their fair share of success in the league. In fact, three of them led their current teams to multiple playoff appearances during their tenure. However, Caldwell and Lewis have been unable to win a postseason game with Pagano and Fox having failed at continuing the past success they have shown during their careers in football. Breer notes that while the “expectation is that Fox will be gone”, the decision on the fate of general manager Ryan Pace is true question facing the franchise this offseason. There’s been rapid speculation about Lewis, Caldwell and Pagano throughout the year, so their inclusion on this list is no surprise. Finally, the Giants are currently interviewing general manager candidates who will almost certainly be looking to lead their own head coaching search once hired.
Breer puts six current head coaches in the ‘we’ll see” part of the list. This portion mentions the Cardinals‘ Bruce Arians, Broncos‘ Vance Joseph, Raiders‘ Jack Del Rio, Buccaneers‘ Dirk Koetter, Titans‘ Mike Mularkey and the Redskins‘ Jay Gruden. There’s a variety of situations going on here with Breer noting that Arizona could see Arians retire, which could lead them to other current NFL head coaches: Todd Bowles and Bill O’Brien. Del Rio and Gruden have had their fair share of success because of quality quarterback play, but both have managed to decrease confidence because of an inconsistent 2017 season. However, Breer points out that both are signed long-term so their owners would have to eat the remaining years of their current deals. Mularkey and Koetter were rewarded for the relationships they formed with their QB’s, but there’s been disappointment with how this season has unfolded for their teams. Breer notes that should Mularkey lose this Sunday, he could be on the chopping block come Monday morning with the team looking to hire an offensive-minded coach like Josh McDaniels. Finally, Joseph has forced himself to the hot seat even in his first year of coaching the Broncos, though Breer says himself that this situation is “unpredictable” given that team president John Elway is just “not pleased with how the season’s gone”.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson, and the two previously mentioned O’Brien and Bowles of the Texans and Jets, find themselves on the “it’s complicated” section of Breer’s roundup largely because of just the many factors are at play in regards to their situations. Jackson got a vote of confidence from owner Jimmy Haslam himself, but new general manager John Dorsey could have his sights on implementing his own guy after a winless season. O’Brien has made the playoffs before, but has struggled committing to a QB even after the team selected Deshaun Watson in the first round. Bowles has done a lot with a little in New York this season, but ownership could go in a different direction with a new starting signal caller likely walking into the building next year. Also, there is the potential that all three coaches could move onto new head coaching gigs with the number of openings that could be available this offseason. The final and definitely most surprising inclusion on this list was Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who Breer mentions could retire at age 66 with a roster about to see major turnover in the next few years. Although, I would venture that nothing he’s said this season would indicate that being the case.

Latest On Bruce Arians

December 26th, 2017 at 2:17pm CST by GregGoldstein

Two seasons after leading the Cardinals to their second ever NFC Championship game, head coach Bruce Arians‘ future appears to be up in the air entering the final week of the regular season. In response to speculation that the he could be moving on in 2018, the veteran coach stated that, “Nothing’s changed in the last month and a half.” (via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com).

Arians made clear to Weinfuss and a pool of reporters after Tuesday’s practice that he would decide on his coaching future between “Monday and February”.

The longtime head coach and offensive coordinator has had health problems in recent years, so it’s fair to ask whether he plans on hanging up his clipboard after the 2017 season is over. However, it appears that the decision to return or leave would solely be up to Arians, according to Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com (Twitter link).

Jurecki heard from sources that “The Cardinals would like to have Arians back next year.” So if this is indeed the case, the front office will plan on giving their coach as much time as he needs to figure out whether he still has the desire to lead the team in 2018.

During his five-year tenure with the Cardinals, Arians has accumulated a record of 39-27, taking the team to the playoffs in both 2014 and 2015. Although, under his guise, Arizona has failed to reach the postseason in each of the last two years thanks in large part to uncertainty at the quarterback position.

Antoine Bethea Tears Pectoral Muscle

December 26th, 2017 at 1:50pm CST by GregGoldstein

The Cardinals are just a win away from ending the 2017 season at .500, but the team will have to beat the playoff contending Seahawks without one of their starting safeties. Head coach Bruce Arians revealed that veteran defensive back Antoine Bethea tore his pectoral muscle against the Giants in Week 16 and will be out for their regular season finale this Sunday, reports Kent Somers of AZCentral Sports (Twitter link). Somers adds that Bethea might need surgery because of the injury, but it wasn’t a definite at this point. The team has promoted linebacker Edmond Robinson in a corresponding move.

At 33 years old, Beathea was having an excellent 2017 campaign, leading the team with a career-high five interceptions in his 12th year in the league. He also was rated highly by the metrics at Pro Football Focus, coming in as the 12th best safety in football through 16 weeks, according to the website.

It would be tough to walk away from the game in the offseason given his recent play, but it’s something that you would think the defensive back would likely consider because of his age, in addition to the recovery process that comes with an injury as serious as this one.

Arizona will likely turn to rookie Budda Baker to replace Bethea on Sunday. Baker has been spectacular on special teams this season. The team’s 2017 second round pick was voted into the Pro Bowl as the number one special teams player in the NFC.

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