Cardinals Delivering on Early Promise for Head Coach Search

So far, the Cardinals are doing their due diligence.

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill speaks to the press from the Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe after the decision to fire head coach Jonathan Gannon on Jan. 5, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ARIZONA — Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill doesn't deserve a parade for what's transpired within the last few weeks. Nor is he close to winning back the fan base's approval, which likely won't come until Arizona makes the postseason again.

When that is? To be determined, though Bidwill's next choice of head coach following the firing of Jonathan Gannon will either push them closer to that goal or force Arizona back to square one, where more changes than a coach will likely come.

However, Bidwill and the Cardinals do deserve credit for not only firing Gannon, but staying true to their press conference promises thus far.

Firing Jonathan Gannon Was First Step

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Bidwill could have easily retained Gannon for another season. The prospect of paying three coaches and potentially Kyler Murray's hefty contract after parting ways was a notable storyline. Excuses could have been formed, and if Gannon stayed, it would have been understood.

"We were going in the wrong direction, it seemed like. It came down to wins and losses. We've won one game since week two of the NFL season, and it just felt like it had gotten too far, and it was just time to go in a different direction," said Bidwill when asked why Gannon was fired.

The Cardinals feel like they have a team capable of competing now. That was very much the expectation preseason, and despite a slow of injuries, that hasn't changed.

Making the change was a surprising move for many Cardinals fans, but as we previously highlighted, the most important task still lies ahead.

The Net Has Indeed Been Cast Far and Wide

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort speak to the press from the Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe after the decision to fire head coach Jonathan Gannon on Jan. 5, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cardinals also promised to be thorough in their search for their next head coach.

"I think with the rules in place by the NFL, this is not a quick process, nor do we want it to be," said general manager Monti Ossenfort.

"This is an important decision that Michael and I are going to undertake, and so we are going to be thorough. We're going to look at a wide range of candidates, and because of the NFL rules that they stand with [in terms of] timing of when we can talk to guys that are still in the playoffs, this is not a process that's going to be quick.

"So a timeline, no, but we're going to be ready, and we're going to be aggressive with our search, and we're going to be thorough with our search. And when we find the right guy, we're going to be aggressive to go get him."

We're on our eighth day of the Cardinals' search for a new head coach, and Arizona's reportedly requested 11 different candidates to speak with in Vance Joseph, Robert Saleh, Anthony Weaver, Patrick Brown, Raheem Morris, Klint Kubiak, Matt Nagy, Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula, Mike LaFleur and Jesse Minter.

The Cardinals also held a phone call with John Harbaugh to gauge interest, too.

Not all of these names came at once, however. The initial list of names wasn't increasingly impressive, which stirred some local media and those in the fan base to be critical of the team.

However, patience is part of the game, and now that the list has expanded, Arizona has a handful of truly strong candidates to pick from — alongside seven other teams.

There's still concerns about Bidwill and his willingness to open the checkbook for a premier coach to land in the desert. Fans would still like to see guys such as Mike McDaniel come in the facility for a visit, in example.

Bidwill's NFLPA grade (to be released later in February) likely isn'y skyrocketing from the bottom of the league's basement, either. There's still a massive amount of change that needs to happen.

Yet when it comes to the last two weeks under Cardinals ownership, they are taking the right steps forward. If that translates to success can only be told with time.