The Arizona Cardinals are one of seven NFL teams currently searching for a new head coach.
The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants fired their coaches during the season, and then the Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and Baltimore Ravens all fired their coaches after Week 18.
It wasn't surprising to see the Cardinals move on from Jonathan Gannon. The coach took over in 2023 and compiled a 15-36 record with no playoff appearances. Now, the team will look to start over once again and hope to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Jacob Infante of PFSN recently ranked the head coach openings from worst to best. Infante has the Cardinals as the least attractive opening, which may surprise some people.
Regarding the Cardinals, Infante offered the following:
This may seem like a harsh ranking for the Arizona Cardinals, and there are valid reasons to be interested in this job. They went 8-9 just one season ago, so there is an indication they have plenty of talent on the roster. They are 2-8 in one-score games, so while they are losing a lot of games, they have enough ability to keep games competitive amid bad coaching.
That said, it could be a tough road toward making the Cardinals one of the top teams in the NFL. For starters, their quarterback situation is a mess. Kyler Murray figures to be on his way out this offseason, and with little to no cap relief from releasing him, Arizona has to hope a team is desperate enough to take on his bad contract.
As Infante mentioned, the Cardinals have played a lot of close games recently and could easily have had better records in 2024 and 2025.
However, the team has a huge question mark at the quarterback position, as it seems unlikely that Kyler Murray will return. Additionally, the team isn't in the best cap situation and isn't exactly brimming with young talent.
Murray's fate may depend on who the next coach is. The former first-round pick only played in five games this season and ended with 962 passing yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. With a top pick in 2026, though, the Cardinals could be looking for a fresh start.
The only way the team can get not get financially crushed is by trading Murray before June 1. In that scenario, the team would take on just under $18 million in dead cap and free about $35 million against the cap.
The major selling points for the Cardinals are some intriguing young players and a top draft pick to work with. Trey McBride is one of the best tight ends in the league already and Marvin Harrison Jr. And Michael Wilson look like a solid receiver duo.
On Infante's list, though, every team ahead of the Cardinals either has a franchise quarterback already, multiple first round picks, or a ton of cap space. The Cardinals have none of those things, so it's understandable to not consider it the best gig.
More NFL news:
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- Cardinals predicted to replace Kyler Murray with 2026 rookie
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- Pete Carroll predicted to be one-and-done with Raiders