Cardinals Named Most Miserable Team Entering 2026 Offseason

The Cardinals really don't seem to have a bright future future, according to this analyst.

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 — The Arizona Cardinals move into the offseason with plenty of question marks from top to bottom of the organization.

2026 will, again, be a pivotal offseason in hopes of getting the Cardinals turned around with massive decisions ahead on spots such as quarterback, head coach and more.

There doesn't appear to be a great outlook on Arizona's situation, at least from national eyes.

The Athletic's Saad Yousuf ranked the Cardinals as the most miserable team entering the 2026 NFL offseason:

"Aside from Trey McBride, the Cardinals’ biggest bright spot on offense was the emergence of 2023 third-round pick Michael Wilson. While the revelation of Wilson was nice, it was offset somewhat by the disappointment of Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 pick in 2024, and the continued regression of Kyler Murray," said Yousuf.

"The Cardinals have Murray on a hefty contract but clearly don’t believe he’s the answer at quarterback anymore. They play in a division in which the other three teams were all in contention for the top seed in the conference for the last few weeks of the season and reached the divisional round of the playoffs. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Arizona ranked first based off a formula ranking both their 2025 season and future outlook, where the Cardinals got a 1/10 for their performance last year with a future outlook ranked at just a 2/10.

All of the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns finished behind the Cardinals to round out the top five.

Are Things Really That Bad for Cardinals?

The Cardinals' conundrum with Kyler Murray isn't great, sure — but we'll get an answer on his future one way or another. In terms of his contract, Arizona doesn't seem too concerned about the ultimate price to part ways with them, if they so desired.

The overall state of the roster doesn't seem bad, as a few holes need to be plugged over the course of free agency and the draft before the Cardinals can seriously hope to contend for a playoff spot.

The NFC West division is tough, no doubt, though there's nothing the Cardinals can do about that. Arizona simply needs to continue digging for answers between the coaching staff and roster until they strike gold.

It is tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel, though the NFL truly is a week-to-week (and year-to-year) league. Things change, quickly, and Arizona has to be on the right side of said change.