Arizona Cardinals finally give fans what they want with head coach Jonathan Gannon after three fruitless seasons
Jonathan Gannon is out as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals after three completely uncompetitive seasons leading the team
The Arizona Cardinals are coming off of a 3-14 season, ending the season on a nine-game losing streak after finishing the season on a 37-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
2025 was their worst season of the modern era, so it comes as no surprise that the Cardinals have elected to part ways with head coach Jonathan Gannon on Monday. Arizona will now search for a new head coach to pair with general manager Monti Ossenfort, who will lead the search.
Jonathan Gannon firing had to happen
Over his three years as a head coach, Gannon went 15-36, going 4-13 in 2023, 8-9 in 2025, and 3-14 this season. The Cardinals never made the playoffs under him, and won just three games in the NFC West in three seasons. Every other NFC West team made the playoffs this season, while the Cardinals will pick third in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
It wasn’t entirely all on Gannon, as the Cardinals had 42 different players miss a combined 309 games due to injury and had 25 players on injured reserve this year, but the team was far too lifeless and uncompetitive for the talent they had on the roster, with an embarrassing -7.8 average scoring margin this season.
The good news for the Cardinals in their coaching search is that there are plenty of pieces on both sides of the ball for the team to build around for the future. Players like Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Trey McBride, Josh Sweat, Walter Nolen, Will Johnson, Max Melton, Jalen Thompson, Budda Baker, and others are key cogs on the team that should make it a fairly intriguing job for their next coach.
The biggest issue for Arizona will be what happens at quarterback. Kyler Murray is guaranteed $36.8 million in 2026. On the fifth day of the new league year in mid-March, another $19.5 million of Murray’s 2027 base salary becomes guaranteed if he is still on the roster. Gannon soft-benched him after a middling season, citing his injury, but it felt clear that Murray’s time in Arizona had ended. Will the next head coach feel the same?
Regardless, the Gannon firing was a much needed move for the Cardinals to make. They listened to their fans and made the best decision for their future after three dismal seasons.
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