Jonathan Gannon Reveals Final Message to Cardinals Ahead of Finale

The Arizona Cardinals have much to play for despite being well out of the playoff picture.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon during action against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at State Farm Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025, in Glendale. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals move into the their regular season finale banged up, down several players on both sides of the ball and well out of the playoff picture ahead of Week 18.

There's bound to be several changes made in the desert following this year -- though Sunday's outcome against the Los Angeles Rams could play a part in swinging the pendulum one way or another.

What's Jonathan Gannon's message to the team?

“Winning behavior," said Gannon at his Wednesday press conference. "(QB) Jacoby (Brissett) talked about it after the game. Yeah, those guys, they know. They'll maximize their last opportunity here. They'll have fun doing it with their teammates and we'll go out and play well.”

Cardinals Preparing For Final Regular Season Game

Dec 28, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Arizona is just 3-13 on the season and were eliminated from the playoffs weeks ago, taking a massive step back from the team's playoff expectations.

The Cardinals' roster will look different moving into 2026, as this is the last time this specific group will be playing together.

In spite of this game not carrying much meaning for Arizona's overall season, numerous Cardinals are auditioning for potential gigs elsewhere.

“Yeah, the reality is the first tape that everybody's going to watch is this one," said Gannon.

"When you're looking at acquisition (that's) just how it goes. You kind of work backwards all the way back down to the front. Everybody might be a little bit different, but more so than that, that's kind of an external factor to me. They want to go play well for their teammates and try to win a game.”

He later added:

“They know the reality of the NFL. That's just what it is. I think their main focus, our main focus — what I told them is just maximize this week every day and enjoy being out there with this team with our last game that we have.”

Just 60 minutes of football stands between the Cardinals and what's sure to be a wild offseason -- though Gannon's message is clear: This specific group will never play together again.

Between overall poor play and injuries, that's probably for the best.

“It is part of the NFL. Obviously, we've missed some key guys, but that's part of the NFL," Gannon said of the injuries. "The guys that we trot out on Sunday, that's what I'm focused on right now.”