Cardinals named least desirable head coach in 2026 appeared first on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Arizona Cardinals are one of seven NFL teams currently searching for a new head coach.
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The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants fired their coaches mid-season, then the Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens all fired their coaches after Week 18.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cardinals move on from Jonathan Gannon. The coach took over in 2023 and compiled a 15-36 record but did not make the playoffs. Now, the team will look for a fresh start in hopes of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
PFSN’s Jacob Infante recently ranked head coaching vacancies from worst to best. Infante thinks the Cardinals have the least attractive start, which may surprise some.
Regarding the Cardinals, Infante offered the following advice:
This seems like a tough ranking for the Arizona Cardinals, and there are good reasons to be interested in the job. Just a season ago, they were 8-9, so there are signs they have a lot of talent on the roster. They’re 2-8 in 1-1 games, so while they’ve lost a lot of games, they’re good enough to stay competitive in a bad coaching environment.
Still, it could be a tough road for the Cardinals to become one of the NFL’s top teams. First, their quarterback situation is a mess. Kyler Murray is expected to retire this offseason, and with little salary cap relief to release him, Arizona has to hope a team is desperate enough to take on his poor contract.
As Infante mentioned, the Cardinals have played a lot of close games recently and could easily have a better record in 2024 and 2025.
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However, the team has a huge question mark at quarterback, as it seems unlikely Kyler Murray will return. Additionally, the team’s salary cap situation isn’t ideal and it’s not filled with young talent.
Murray’s fate may depend on who his next coach is. The former first-round pick played in just five games this season, finishing with 962 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. However, with the No. 1 pick in 2026, the Cardinals may be looking for a fresh start.
The only way for the team to avoid financial trouble is to trade Murray before June 1. In this scenario, the team would take on nearly $18 million in dead cap hit and free up about $35 million in cap hit.
The Cardinals’ main selling points are some interesting young players and a top draft pick to work with. Trey McBride is already one of the best tight ends in the league, and Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson look like a solid receiver tandem.
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Still, every team before the Cardinals on Infante’s roster either already has a franchise quarterback, multiple first-round picks or a ton of cap space. The Cardinals don’t have those things, so it’s understandable not to think it was the best performance.