If the Cardinals Are Serious, These 5 Coaches Top Their List

The Arizona Cardinals head coaching search is rolling on, but we do have a list of the coaches that they have asked permission from their respective teams to interview for the position.

It's quite the list, with several names that should garner the attention of Cardinals fans. The list is as follows:

Offensive Names

Arthur Smith (Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator)
Joe Brady (Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator)
Klint Kubiak (Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator)
Mike LaFleur (Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator)
Matt Nagy (Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator)
Thomas Brown (New England Patriots passing game coordinator/tight ends coach)

Defensive Names

Anthony Campanile (Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator)
Anthony Weaver (Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator)
Chris Shula (Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator)
Jesse Minter (Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator)
Matt Burke (Houston Texans defensive coordinator)
Vance Joseph (Denver Broncos defensive coordinator)
Raheem Morris (Former Atlanta Falcons head coach)

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It's quite the list. Just a handful of coaches have prior NFL head coaching experience. Many of these candidates are considered young "up-and-coming" coordinators. I also imagine that some of these coaches will perk the ears up of fans more than others.

Nonetheless, these are the candidates that the Cardinals are interviewing for the position, and I like some more than others. That's what we're here to do as I separate my top five preferred choices for the Cardinals to hire and become their new head coach.

This isn't necessarily a straight ranking, as I organized the candidates like I did above, but I'll indicate the choices that I have a stronger affinity for compared to the rest.

We can start things off with a name who has been featured in coaching circles for years, and perhaps this is finally the offseason where he gets his chance to show he can run a team.

Joe Brady

Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brad — Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady greets players as they take the field before their game against the Bengals at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Dec. 7, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brady is the youngest candidate on this list, yet somehow feels like the most established candidate the Cardinals are looking into. He was one of the driving forces behind Josh Allen's development into the MVP quarterback he has become. He's been in an offensive coordinator role in the pros longer than the rest of these candidates have been, and it's just as impressive to see the spectacular work that he's accomplished in that time.

When Brian Daboll left the Buffalo Bills to become the head coach of the New York Giants, it felt like a massive blow to Allen's development. Brady ensured that his progress never stopped, however. He's helped Allen embrace the talent around him no matter how elite or average it may be. It speaks to Brady's brilliance, and it should get him a head coaching gig that he's long been waiting for.

There's a legitimate argument to be made that the current Cardinals' offense has better weapons than the Bills do. If Brady can find his quarterback, Arizona could see a quick transition to hosting a good and eventually great offense. That's a welcome sight for fans who are longing to keep up offensively with the rest of the NFC.

READ: The Real Reason Why Cardinals Haven't Hired Anybody Yet

Klint Kubiak

As far as I am concerned, Kubiak is the top available head coaching candidate out there. The league is pushing for offensive-minded coaches these days, and for good reason, with some of its top coaches including Sean McVay, Andy Reid, Ben Johnson, Dan Campbell, and Kyle Shanahan, among many, many others.

It's time the Cardinals take another swing at an offensive-minded head coach, and Kubiak is the best candidate they've looked at in some time. Even beyond his family roots, Kubiak has seen major success throughout his career and delivered on results. The Seattle Seahawks offense reached its full potential after he arrived this season despite moving on from several players, and that didn't happen by accident.

Hiring Kubiak is also a chance to weaken a division rival and hopefully speed up a rebuilding process on the offensive side of the ball. None of the remaining candidates really accomplish this...

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Mike LaFleur

...except maybe LaFleur. To a lesser extent, in my own opinion, LaFleur could make a similar impact for the Cardinals as I just described for Kubiak. After all, he coaches for the division rival Los Angeles Rams and has been a brilliant offensive mind for several years. It also helps your case to be a disciple of the McVay coaching tree.

There's also some family roots here, with Mike's brother, Matt LaFleur, seeing great success with the Green Bay Packers. If not for Super Bowl expectations, LaFleur would be considered by everyone, and especially Packers fans, as arguably the best coach in the league without a Super Bowl ring. Maybe the apple didn't fall far from that tree, and Mike is as brilliant as Matt is.

You could make the same argument for LaFleur that I just made above for Kubiak, and you'd be valid in doing so. They're both very young coaches, too, which could set the Cardinals up for future, and hopefully sustained, success.

READ: Cardinals Patient HC Search Raises This Question

Jesse Minter

Cardinals fans may be skittish to hire another young defensive coordinator as their head coach following the failed Jonathan Gannon experiment. It's more than understandable, and Cardinals fans have been through the ringer trying to find their long-term head coach. It's no surprise to see the team's lack of playoff success over the last 10 years with swings at the bat for younger options.

Still, that shouldn't dissuade them from looking into younger candidates on either side of the ball. Minter appears to be the next guy up for that category, and many liken him to Mike Macdonald with Seattle. Perhaps that's a lazy comparison, since Minter also has ties to the Baltimore Ravens and Michigan Wolverines. But it's not an accident that he's been so stellar at his coaching stops.

It's always a gamble to bet on someone with no prior head coaching experience at any level, like Minter has. What's more important to note is that he's young and innovative, which is what should make him an attractive candidate for the Cardinals. There aren't many defensive coaching candidates I can try to sell fans on after Gannon, but Minter is my best chance.

READ: Clock Ticking on This Cardinals HC Candidate

Matt Burke

Of course, if I can't sell you on Minter, then I can try to do so with Burke. The Houston Texans defensive coordinator isn't as young as some of the other options, but he's not exactly an old head, either. His experience dates all the way back to 1998, although he also lacks the head coaching background that could scare fans. But a coach as tenured as Burke makes up for that empty checkbox.

There's a slight connection here to the Cardinals, as he was the team's defensive line coach in 2022. He's made his money calling the Texans' defense over the last three seasons, lining up perfectly with Houston's pivot to DeMeco Ryans as their head coach. Burke's guidance has led to arguably the best defense in all of football, and his help in assembling that unit cannot be overstated.

Burke rounds out my top-five list of head coaching candidates for the Cardinals and is one of just two defensive-minded guys I am strongly considering. That said, his plethora of experience and track record of success have sold me. Perhaps he can bring the attitude to this defense that the team was hoping they had found with Gannon.