The desert is currently a mess. Honestly, if you’re a fan looking for a bit of stability, the latest news on Arizona Cardinals front isn't exactly a warm hug. It’s more like a cold splash of water in the face after a 3-14 season that basically set the franchise on fire. After three years of trying to make the "culture" thing work, Michael Bidwill finally pulled the plug on Jonathan Gannon on January 5, 2026.
He didn't just fire a coach; he admitted the whole experiment failed.
Gannon’s exit was somewhat predictable if you looked at the numbers, but the timing felt like a gut punch to a locker room that actually seemed to like the guy. He finished with a 15-36 record. That is a meager .294 winning percentage, which, for those keeping score at home, is the seventh-worst in NFL history for anyone who lasted at least 50 games. You can’t survive that. You just can’t.
The Coaching Search Hurdle Nobody Saw Coming
Everything changed on Tuesday when Mike Tomlin decided to step down from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Suddenly, the news on Arizona Cardinals coaching search got a lot more complicated. Before Tomlin hit the market, Arizona was competing with a handful of teams for the best coordinators. Now? They’re competing with the Steelers—a "Blue Blood" franchise with six Super Bowls and a history of keeping coaches for decades.
Who wouldn't want that job over the Cardinals?
Arizona is looking for its ninth head coach in Darren Urban’s tenure. Stability isn't exactly the first word that comes to mind when you think of the Redbirds. While the New York Giants already snagged John Harbaugh (who was the "big fish" this cycle), Monti Ossenfort is left picking through what’s left while trying to convince candidates that this isn't a three-year rebuild.
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Bidwill was pretty firm about that. He doesn't want to wait until 2029 to see a winning record. But with the roster in the state it’s in, that feels like wishful thinking.
The Kyler Murray Elephant in the Room
We have to talk about K1. We have to.
Kyler Murray didn't finish the 2025 season. Again. He was shut down after a foot injury in Week 5, and the team went a staggering 1-11 without him. When he did play, it wasn't exactly MVP-caliber stuff: 962 yards, six touchdowns, and three picks in five starts.
Here is the thing: Kyler has $36.8 million in guarantees for 2026.
If the Cardinals release or trade him, they’re eating a massive amount of dead money. But if they keep him, they’re tied to a quarterback who hasn't played a full healthy season in what feels like forever. Jeremy Fowler from ESPN mentioned that the next head coach might just inherit Kyler because Bidwill is "unwilling to pay three fired coaches" and a benched quarterback all at the same time.
It’s a money problem. Basically, the Cardinals might be stuck with Kyler not because they want to be, but because they can’t afford not to be.
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Draft Plans: The Dante Moore Disaster
If you were hoping the Cardinals would just draft a savior at No. 3, I have some bad news. Oregon’s Dante Moore announced on SportsCenter that he’s staying in school for the 2026 season.
That ruined everything.
The plan was simple: take whichever of the "Big Three" (Moore, Fernando Mendoza, or Ty Simpson) fell to third. Now? Mendoza is almost certainly going to the Raiders at No. 1. The Jets pick at No. 2 and they love Ty Simpson. That leaves Arizona at No. 3 with no blue-chip quarterback worth taking that high.
So what do they do?
- Option A: Draft a tackle like Miami’s Francis Mauigoa.
- Option B: Take a pass rusher like Arvell Reese from Ohio State.
- Option C: Trade down and pray Jacoby Brissett can hold the fort.
None of those options feel like they’re going to sell tickets in Glendale.
Why the 2025 Season Was Actually Worse Than the Record
You might look at 3-14 and think, "Hey, at least they got some high picks." But the way they lost was soul-crushing. They actually started 2-0! Fans were hyped. Then they went 1-14 the rest of the way, including a nine-game losing streak to end the year.
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Injuries were a literal plague. Over 300 collective games were missed by starters.
- James Conner? Gone in Week 3.
- Trey Benson? Season-ending knee injury.
- Walter Nolen? Only played 6 games.
- Marvin Harrison Jr.? Missed 5 games.
It was essentially a practice squad playing NFL games by December. While Trey McBride managed to set an NFL record for tight end catches (the guy is a beast, seriously), there wasn't much else to cheer for.
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Rebuild"
People keep saying this is a "Year 1" rebuild again. Ossenfort insists it isn't. He thinks the roster is "in a good place" once everyone is healthy.
I’m not sure I buy that.
The defense allowed 28.7 points per game last year. That’s 29th in the league. You can’t blame all of that on a foot injury to the quarterback. The pass rush was non-existent outside of Josh Sweat, who played through knee and ankle issues just to get to 12 sacks.
If the Cardinals don't fix the trenches, it doesn't matter if they hire the ghost of Vince Lombardi.
Actionable Insights for the Offseason
If you’re tracking the news on Arizona Cardinals over the next few weeks, here is what you actually need to watch for. Don't get distracted by the "culture" talk. Look at the transactions.
- The March 15 Deadline: This is the big one. Kyler Murray’s 2027 salary ($19.5 million) becomes fully guaranteed on this date. If he’s still on the roster on March 16, he’s likely your starter for the next two years.
- The Coordinator Poaching: Watch if the Cardinals target an offensive-minded coach like Mike LaFleur. If they do, expect them to bring in a bridge quarterback like Jimmy Garoppolo to mentor whoever they eventually draft.
- Free Agency Spending: They have about $27.1 million in cap space if they keep Kyler. That’s not a lot. They need to prioritize a boundary cornerback to pair with Garrett Williams because the secondary was a sieve last year.
- The "Tomlin Effect": If the Cardinals' search drags on past late January, it means they’re losing out on their top choices to Pittsburgh and Miami. If that happens, expect a "safe" hire rather than a "splash" hire.
The path back to relevance for Arizona isn't a straight line. It’s a jagged, ugly mess involving a lot of cap-space gymnastics and hoping that Kyler Murray’s body finally decides to cooperate. This offseason isn't just about finding a new coach; it's about deciding if the last four years were a fluke or the new normal.