Michael Bidwill Earns Cardinals Fans’ Applause -- Now Comes the Hard Part

Michael Bidwill has earned praise from Arizona Cardinals fans -- now what?

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 -- For the moment, Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill has the applause from the fan base.

We'll see how long he can hold it.

Many thought Bidwill would have taken the "easy" route in retaining head coach Jonathan Gannon for 2026, and it would have been understood. Gannon previously displayed potential to be a long-term solution in the desert, and paying three different coaches (Kliff Kingsbury, Gannon and his successor) would be opening the wallet to extents not previously seen in Arizona.

Bidwill made a statement after firing Gannon this week, one that saw plenty of praise online from fans.

"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 on why Gannon was dismissed.

He then dove into his feelings on the season when asked about the fan base.

"...I know our fans are frustrated. I am more frustrated. I know Monti [Ossenfort] is more frustrated. And so is JG and every one of those coaches and players. We all expected more. But when I look at it, some of the changes that were made with other teams just a year or two years ago, those teams with new coaches from a year or two ago are now in the playoffs, playing this weekend.

"I know we can turn it around, and I'm looking forward to getting going with this search because it's going to be a great opportunity for us to be that next story where we flip it around."

So, Bidwill has the temporary good graces from the fan base -- what now?

Without overstating the obvious, he needs to bring in a coach that's capable of taking this team to the next level.

Gannon served his purpose as a bridge, instilling a new sense of culture and identity in Arizona's locker room.

But the Cardinals now need results, and Bidwill's decision this offseason will either take the Cardinals to the next tier of NFL football or completely put them back at level zero.

Their next hire doesn't need to be flashy. It doesn't need to be exciting nor convincing. Fans will eventually get over introductory press conferences so long as results follow.

It just needs to be the right one.

What that exactly looks like is unknown to the public, but that's Bidwill's next -- and perhaps most important -- task as an owner.