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Eagles DC Vic Fangio Expected To Return In 2026

By | at February 2, 2026 4:53 pm

FEBRUARY 2: Fangio did indeed “seriously entertain” retirement in recent days, but PHLY Sports’ EJ Smith reports the Eagles are now “confident” he will remain in place for at least one more year. A third season with Philadelphia as the team’s D-coordinator can be expected.

FEBRUARY 1: The Eagles have already made a change at offensive coordinator this year, hiring Sean Mannion to replace the demoted Kevin Patullo. It is unclear whether the club will also be in search of a new defensive coordinator.

During a recent appearance on The Anthony Gargano Show, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network said he has not heard that DC Vic Fangio is retiring, nor has he heard that Fangio will return (video link). He added that he would not be surprised either way. 

According to Garafolo, during the Eagles’ Super Bowl party last year, Fangio told his fellow attendees that he appreciated working with them and suggested he was going to end his career on a high note with a Super Bowl ring. And then he elected to continue working. 

It sounds as if something similar transpired this year. Citing multiple sources, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com says Fangio told the team he was retiring, only to be convinced to come back for at least one more season. That said, a team spokesperson declined to confirm that Fangio would remain in place in 2026.

Following up on Kempski’s report, Garafolo reiterates that while Fangio appears to be leaning towards returning at the moment, that could still change. Dianna Russini of The Athletic also heard that Fangio waffled a bit in 2025, but a team source told her that “we’ll convince him to stay” in 2026.

It is not difficult to see why the Eagles want Fangio to return. One of the most respected and influential defensive minds in the game, Fangio joined Philadelphia in his current capacity in 2024, after a collapse on the defensive side of the ball torpedoed the club’s chances of a deep postseason run the year prior. A concerted effort to address deficiencies in the secondary certainly helped, but after the Eagles finished 26th in total defense and 30th in scoring defense in 2023, they finished first and second, respectively, in those areas in 2024. They went on to capture the second Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Although Fangio’s unit regressed a bit in 2025, its performance was still respectable (13th in total defense, fifth in scoring defense). This time, it was the Patullo-directed offense that undermined Philadelphia’s championship aspirations.

Additionally, with a rookie play-caller in the offensive coordinator seat, it stands to reason that head coach Nick Sirianni wants some stability and experience among his top lieutenants. It does appear the Eagles have been formulating a backup plan just in case Fangio decides to call it quits.

According to Kempski, Philadelphia reached out to former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, whose success in that role over the 2021-22 campaigns helped him become the Cardinals’ head coach in 2023. Arizona cut ties with him last month, and he subsequently accepted the Packers’ DC position.

Philly was also planning to contact Jim Schwartz, per Kempski. Schwartz was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator when they won their first Super Bowl title at the end of the 2017 season. After being passed over for the Browns’ head coaching job in this year’s cycle, Schwartz reportedly wants out of Cleveland, where he has worked as the DC since 2023.

Now 67, Fangio previously said he wants to finish his coaching career as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. It is too soon to say whether that time has already come. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Fangio has not responded to questions about his future since the 2025 season came to an end.

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Packers To Hire Jonathan Gannon As DC

By | at January 25, 2026 11:20 pm

The Packers recently lost defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley when he took the Dolphins’ head coaching position. The search for his replacement has come to an end.

Green Bay is hiring Jonathan Gannon to fill the DC position, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The former Cardinals head coach has thus managed to find a new opportunity not long after his Arizona firing. Gannon was one of three candidates known to have interviewed with the Packers.

Interest in multiple D-coordinator openings was present in Gannon’s case. The Commanders interviewed him once, while the Cowboys conducted a follow-up with him last week. Gannon was also among the candidates who spoke with the Titans about their head coaching position, but a return to the DC ranks has long been expected in this case. Both the Chargers and Giants were interested in Gannon, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports. Green Bay moving quickly with this hire may have been a reaction to the threat of other DC offers being made shortly.

Gannon spent three seasons leading the Cardinals. Hired alongside general manager Monti Ossenfort to oversee a rebuilding effort, Arizona went 4-13 during his first year on the sidelines. The team’s win total doubled in 2024; that encouraging campaign saw the Cardinals in contention for a playoff berth for much of the season. A poor showing after the bye produced only a pair of wins down the stretch, however.

Expectations were high for Gannon’s team to at least match its success from the prior year entering 2025. Things did not go according to plan, however. Following a 2-0 start, the Cardinals lost five consecutive one-score games. A win coming out of the bye seemed to offer the potential for a turnaround, but as injuries across the roster piled up Arizona ended the year on a nine-game losing streak. Leading up to ‘Black Monday,’ it increasingly appeared as though Ossenfort would be safe while Gannon would be dismissed. That was indeed the path ownership took.

Prior to his Cardinals tenure, Gannon coordinated the Eagles’ defense for two years. Philadelphia ranked top 10 in yards allowed during the 2021 and ’22 seasons; the team improved from 18th to eighth in scoring defense under Gannon. With the Eagles reaching the Super Bowl during Gannon’s final year in Philadelphia, it came as little surprise when he received a head coaching opportunity. Expectations will no doubt be tempered if Gannon, 42, is to get another HC look in the future.

Upon returning to coordinator duties, however, Gannon could once again see quick success. Green Bay largely thrived on defense during Hafley’s two-year run leading the unit. Injuries midway through the 2025 campaign – highlighted of course by Micah Parsons‘ ACL tear – proved to be impactful, and the Packers struggled on defense through the end of the season and in the wild-card round. That did not stop Hafley from being among the top HC candidates during this year’s hiring cycle, and few were surprised when he followed Green Bay colleague Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami.

Gannon had a lengthy track record of NFL coaching gigs prior to his Eagles coordinator opportunity. Much of that time was spent as a position coach working with defensive backs, and the secondary looms as a unit which could see considerable attention from the Packers this offseason. Gannon will be tasked with overseeing improvement on the back end in particular for Green Bay in 2026 as he takes charge of a defense for the second time in his career.

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Packers To Interview Jonathan Gannon For DC Job

By | at January 20, 2026 7:07 pm

After being fired as Cardinals head coach earlier this month, Jonathan Gannon continues to generate interest for defensive coordinator openings. The latest team to schedule an interview is the Packers, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

[RELATED: Cowboys Scheduling Second Interviews With DC Candidates]

Gannon spent years coaching defensive backs in Minnesota and Indianapolis before being hired as the Eagles defensive coordinator in 2021. Following an inconsistent first season at the helm, Philly’s defense took it to another level in 2022, finishing second in yards allowed and eighth in points allowed. That performance ended up earning him the Cardinals head coaching gig (although not without a bit of controversy).

The coach’s stint in Arizona proved to be forgettable, as he never guided the Cardinals to a winning record during his three seasons with the organization. His best showing was in 2024, when the team finished 8-9. However, they took a major step back in 2025, finishing with a 3-14 record. Gannon also struggled to get the most out of his defense during his time in Arizona; the Cardinals never finished better than 15th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed.

Still, Gannon clearly has a reputation as a respected defensive mind. He’s garnered a second interview for the Cowboys defensive coordinator job, and he was a candidate for the Commanders gig. Gannon also interviewed for the Titans head coaching vacancy before the team opted for Robert Saleh.

Now, he’s drawing interest from Green Bay to replace Jeff Hafley, who recently took the head coaching job in Miami. As Matt Schneidman of The Athletic notes, Matt LaFleur praised Gannon earlier this year, describing him as a “really good coach” and saying that he did a “hell of a job” in Arizona. Gannon is joining a group of candidates that currently features Vikings DBs coach Daronte Jones and Eagles DBs coach Christian Parker.

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2026 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at January 20, 2026 9:00 am

The 2026 head coaching carousel has now seen 10 jobs open since the start of the offseason, as the Bills have fired Sean McDermott. HC firings generally lead to coordinator changes, and several other teams have proceeded with OC or DC moves to start their offseasons. Here are the current OC and DC searches transpiring. As the remaining HC searches conclude, more coordinator searches will be added to this list.

Updated 2-14-26 (6:00pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Drew Petzing)

  • Nathaniel Hackett, quarterbacks coach (Dolphins): Hired

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Zac Robinson)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Todd Monken)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Joe Brady)

  • Pete Carmichael Jr., senior offensive assistant (Broncos): Hire expected

Chicago Bears (Out: Declan Doyle)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Tommy Rees)

Denver Broncos (Out: Joe Lombardi)

  • Ronald Curry, quarterbacks coach (Bills): Interviewed
  • Brian Johnson, pass-game coordinator (Commanders): Interviewed
  • Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Promoted

Detroit Lions (Out: John Morton)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

  • Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach (Bears): Rehired

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Greg Olson)

  • Andrew Janocko, quarterbacks coach (Seahawks): Frontrunner?
  • Frisman Jackson, wide receivers coach (Seahawks): To interview

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Greg Roman)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Frank Smith)

New York Giants (Out: Mike Kafka)

New York Jets (Out: Tanner Engstrand)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kevin Patullo)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Arthur Smith)

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Klint Kubiak)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Josh Grizzard)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Nick Holz)

Washington Commanders (Out: Kliff Kingsbury)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Zach Orr)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Bobby Babich)

  • Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Hired

Cleveland Browns (Out: Jim Schwartz)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Matt Eberflus)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Jeff Hafley)

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Patrick Graham)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Jesse Minter)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Anthony Weaver)

  • Sean Duggan, former linebackers coach (Packers): Hired
  • Clint Hurtt, defensive line coach (Eagles): Interviewed

New England Patriots (Out: Terrell Williams)

New York Giants (Out: Shane Bowen)

New York Jets (Out: Steve Wilks)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Teryl Austin)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Robert Saleh)

  • Gus Bradley, assistant head coach (49ers): Interviewed
  • Raheem Morris, former head coach (Falcons): Hired
  • Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator (Browns): Rumored candidate
  • Joe Woods, defensive backs coach (Raiders): Interviewed

Tennessee Titans (Out: Dennard Wilson)

Washington Commanders (Out: Joe Whitt)

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Cowboys Scheduling Second Interviews With Defensive Coordinator Candidates

By | at January 17, 2026 11:28 am

Almost two weeks since they fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys are getting closer to hiring his replacement, Josina Anderson of The Exhibit reports. The Cowboys are setting up second interviews with the top contenders for the position.

Vikings pass game coordinator Daronte Jones will be in Dallas to meet team brass today, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. Former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has scheduled a Jan. 20 in-person visit with the Cowboys, per Anderson. While Eagles pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker hasn’t booked an in-person sitdown yet, that’s expected to take place, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN relays.

Broncos assistant head coach and pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard was part of the Cowboys’ first round of interviews, but it’s unclear if they’ll meet with him in person. He’s ineligible for now, Archer notes. The Broncos would have to lose in the divisional round or AFC title game first. Otherwise, a Leonhard meeting would have to wait until the bye week before the Super Bowl.

Hiring Gannon, who’s on the market after winning just 15 of 51 games in Arizona, would continue the Cowboys’ recent trend of choosing ex-NFL head coaches to run their defense. Dating back to 2014, Rod Marinelli, Mike Nolan, Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer and Eberflus have held the job for various periods.

Nolan, Zimmer and Eberflus lasted just one year apiece in Dallas. The Cowboys would surely prefer more stability in the post, whether they choose Gannon or one of the other candidates.

Gannon’s also in the running to join Quinn’s staff as the Commanders’ next defensive coordinator, while the Titans will interview him for their head coaching position on Sunday. If the 43-year-old ends up in Dallas or Washington, it would give him a second chance as an NFL defensive coordinator and a return to the NFC East. He led the Eagles’ defense from 2021-22, and the unit’s elite performance helped the team win the NFC in the second of those seasons. Gannon left for Arizona after a Super Bowl LVII loss to Kansas City.

Either Jones or Parker would be a first-time professional D-coordinator in Dallas, though the former was in charge of LSU’s defense in 2021. Jones has spent the past three seasons under Vikings DC Brian Flores, whose contract expired earlier this week. The Vikings aim to re-sign Flores, but if he departs (perhaps for a head coaching job), Jones has come up as a potential successor. Jones is also on the Jets’ radar, having already interviewed for their DC role.

Parker, 34, began his pro coaching career as a defensive quality control assistant with the Packers in 2019. He spent two seasons in Green Bay before coaching Denver’s defensive backs from 2021-23. Parker just wrapped up his second year on Vic Fangio‘s defensive staff with the Eagles, who ranked No. 1 against the pass during a Super Bowl-winning 2024 campaign. The eliminated Eagles didn’t enjoy the same success in 2025, but their pass defense still ranked eighth overall. It’s now possible they’ll lose Parker to a familiar foe.

Regardless of which candidate takes over as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, owner Jerry Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer will expect far better results in 2026. The Cowboys’ offense was among the game’s best in 2025, but a poor defensive performance doomed the team to a 7-9-1 record. Eberflus’ group allowed the most points in the league and the third-most yards.

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Titans Schedule Jonathan Gannon HC Interview; Gannon Books DC Meetings With Commanders, Cowboys

By | at January 12, 2026 4:28 pm

Jonathan Gannon could land on his feet soon. Following his ouster as Cardinals HC, the three-year leader has three interviews scheduled — one bringing an opportunity to stay on the HC tier.

The Titans are planning to meet with Gannon about their HC position Sunday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Prior to that, however, Gannon has two defensive coordinator meetings scheduled. He will meet with the Cowboys on Tuesday and Commanders on Thursday, Rapoport adds.

These NFC East gigs are rather interesting, seeing as Gannon trekked to Arizona after two seasons as the Eagles’ DC. The Cardinals position did not work out, and Gannon will consider heading back to the DC level. Having a head coaching interview set for days after the two DC meetings could throw a wrench into Gannon’s schedule, and a determination on how likely a Titans opportunity would be may need to be made with regards to potentially accepting a DC offer earlier.

Coming to Arizona after helming a top-tier Philadelphia defense, Gannon could not replicate that Eagles success with the Cardinals. The team struggled defensively this season, taking a step back from a 2024 season that appeared to feature a less talented unit. Gannon and Nick Rallis‘ defense ranked 29th in points and 27th in yardage. This came after the ’24 unit displayed improvement (15th, 21st) during an 8-9 season. Gannon’s third Arizona team tumbled to 3-14, and after some 11th-hour rumors the HC could keep his job, the team moved on while retaining Monti Ossenfort — hired along with Gannon in 2023 — as GM.

The Commanders have already made their move to replace Kliff Kingsbury, promoting David Blough to OC. That move came early, and it appeared it was partially made to keep Blough out of the Lions’ OC search. Washington has also interviewed two-year Tennessee DC Dennard Wilson for the job. Wilson coached with Gannon under Nick Sirianni in Philly from 2021-22, with a request sent to Raiders DC Patrick Graham.

The Cowboys attempted to schedule a Jeff Ulbrich interview, but the Falcons blocked it. Dallas has met with the Browns’ Ephraim Banda and Vikings’ Daronte Jones about the job. The team is looking for a leader on this side of the ball for a third straight offseason — after both Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus went one-and-done. The Eagles ranked 10th in scoring defense in 2021 and second in 2022, giving Gannon momentum he used to vault into the Cardinals’ HC chair.

With the Titans having two-plus months to plan their HC search, it is predictably wide-ranging. Gannon runs the count to 17 candidates who have either interviewed or received a request. This does not include John Harbaugh, whom the organization wants to interview. Gannon, 43, would be a dark-horse candidate to land a head coaching job after going 3-14. Even him having the chance to interview for one is notable, but that is on tap.

4 comments Dallas Cowboys Tennessee Titans Washington Commanders

2026 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

By | at January 7, 2026 9:50 pm

The Browns, Cardinals, Falcons and Raiders followed the Giants and Titans in firing head coaches, making those calls between the Week 18 conclusion and Black Monday. The Ravens then moved on from John Harbaugh after 18 seasons; two days later, the Dolphins canned Mike McDaniel. Following a wild-card loss, the Steelers and Mike Tomlin are separating after 19 years. Now, after an overtime divisional-round loss in Denver, Sean McDermott is out in Buffalo.

The 10 HC openings are tied with 1978, 1997, 2006 and 2022 for the most in one year. Here are the candidates connected to all those searches. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-9-26 (9:40pm CT)

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

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Cardinals Fire HC Jonathan Gannon

By | at January 5, 2026 11:12 pm

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.

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Cardinals Likely To Retain Jonathan Gannon

By | at January 4, 2026 10:58 am

Earlier this week, Jonathan Gannon was viewed as being on a hotter seat compared to GM Monti Ossenfort. Despite the Cardinals taking a major step back from last season, it appears ownership is planning to stick with both power brokers.

With no real buzz about Ossenfort losing his job surfacing, a few Gannon reports have come out. Gannon is likely to see a fourth season on the job, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero note. A chance for Gannon and Ossenfort to nab their own quarterback — as a split with Steve Keim/Kliff Kingsbury-era addition Kyler Murray is widely expected — is on track to come with a fourth season. Two years remain on both contracts, SI.com’s Albert Breer adds.

[RELATED: Gannon Expects To Keep Job For 2026]

Michael Bidwill has generally given coaches a bit more time. Kingsbury received four years, though it is worth noting Bidwill fired him months after extending him. Bruce Arians retired after five, while Ken Whisenhunt was on for six seasons.

Though, it is worth mentioning Kingsbury and Whisenhunt had made playoff berths by Year 3. Bidwill, who took over as the Cardinals’ controlling owner in 2007, did fire Steve Wilks after one season. Gannon finishing (at best) with two 4-13 seasons in his first three seasons and making it to Year 4 would be rare, but Breer adds Bidwill still likes his HC and believes a turnaround can happen.

The much-criticized owner not wanting to pay three coaches also plays into this decision, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Kingsbury signed a through-2027 extension in 2022, with Gannon also under contract through 2027. Offset language regularly exists in these deals, but Kingsbury’s Commanders salary is south of where his Cardinals HC AAV. An offense dealing with injuries also could save Gannon, per Jones, despite the HC’s primary unit regressing. Gannon and DC Nick Rallis have overseen a production drop on defense, with that group ranking 29th in scoring and 26th in yardage after placing 15th and 21st in those categories last year.

Arizona’s offense has played most of the season without Murray, though some of that portion is due to an organizational choice to shut down a player no longer in the long-term plan, with James Conner and Marvin Harrison Jr. suffering injuries as well. Next year will be crucial for the Cardinals’ power duo, as a Murray trade (or release) will precede a true investment in a replacement. Gannon and Ossenfort had offered consistent praise for Murray for years, but the seventh-year passer wore out his welcome in 2025.

Staff changes should be expected, Breer adds. This could mean OC Drew Petzing is elsewhere. It would be interesting if Gannon fired Rallis, who came over from Philadelphia with him in 2023, and Petzing’s unit ranks higher (23rd points, 19th yards). Petzing came over from the Browns in 2023, but HCs on hot seats regularly turn to coordinator firings. It would seem Gannon staying would mean at least one of these two staffers will be out.

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Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon Expects To Keep Job

By | at December 30, 2025 6:43 pm

While Jonathan Gannon‘s Cardinals appeared to take a step forward in 2024, the organization took a major step back in 2025. Naturally, the head coach has found himself on the hot seat. While Gannon won’t have much say in the matter, he’s confident he’ll be back in Arizona in 2026.

While speaking with reporters yesterday, the coach answered “yeah” when asked if he’ll be around for the organization’s postseason press conference. While Gannon said he didn’t want to “get into all that” when asked pointedly about his job security, he did admit that he feels “good” about keeping his job. The third-year coach also acknowledged that he’s had productive conversations with owner Michael Bidwill.

“I kind of do the same process as I’ve done the last two years: I try to take detailed notes, try to have a pulse of what’s going on, but you can’t let that … I do have to think about the future a little bit, obviously the seat that I’m in, but my focus is really on L.A. and that there’ll be a time to look at all of that and have those conversations and make changes,” Gannon said (via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss). “No one’s happy. I’m not happy. Players aren’t happy. Through adversity, you’ve got to change. So, I got to change, and we got to change some things, but we’ll get to that.”

Gannon parlayed his success as Eagles defensive coordinator into the Cardinals head coaching job ahead of the 2023 campaign (although he had to overcome claims of tampering during the hiring process). The Cardinals struggled during the coach’s first season at the helm, finishing with a 4-13 record. However, the team slightly rebounded in 2024, finishing with an 8-9 record, and there was hope the franchise could build off that momentum in 2025.

Instead, the organization is on track to have their worst showing in more than five decades. Kyler Murray appears to be on his way out, leaving the team without an answer at a key position. Gannon’s leadership has also been questioned, especially following a midseason incident with Emari Demercado when the coach appeared to hit the RB in the stomach following a costly fumble. The Cardinals fined Gannon $100K for that incident.

Other than Steve Wilks‘ one-year stint as head coach, the Bidwill family has recently given their head coaches relatively long leashes, with each of Kliff Kingsbury, Bruce Arians, and Ken Whisenhunt all sticking around for at least four seasons. Despite Gannon’s confidence, it remains to be seen if the current head coach will be afforded the same amount of patience.

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