Entering year three of Jonathan Gannon's tenure as Arizona Cardinals head coach was supposed to be different. The offense was finally healthy with quarterback Kyler Murray and 2024 first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr expected to lead the charge. On defense, Gannon believed he could coach a young unit now boasting two top-end talents in 2025 draft picks, defensive tackle Walter Nolen and cornerback Will Johnson. Things seemed to be looking up for Arizona after consecutive wins to begin their season. However, things came crashing down in Week 3, and a five-game losing streak followed.
Now sitting at 3-7 after a humiliating 41-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and a returning Brock Purdy in Week 11, Gannon's future is in question. Yet, the head coach refuses to acknowledge any hot-seat talk in the desert.
“Not a controllable for me. I didn’t hire myself, I’m not going to fire myself,” Gannon said via Cardinals' team reporter Darren Urban. “Seriously, I know it’s going to come up. That’s the business we’re in. If you don’t want to be in that business, we laugh, we joke (about) ‘Go work somewhere else.’ I’m going to control the controllables for myself. Come to work and do the best job I can and try to get our team in the best position I can to win a game.”
To be fair to Gannon, he is a sitting duck. Murray is on the shelf, and backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett is surprisingly outplaying him. Top receivers, Zay Jones and Harrison Jr, are currently sidelined with injuries, leaving Arizona no margin for error.
However, Sunday's loss against the 49ers may have been an example of a head coach losing his team. It is not because of infighting or a lack of direction, but the undisciplined nature of Arizona's efforts. The Cardinals set a franchise record by committing 17 penalties for 180 yards on Sunday, in what could be the first example of Gannon losing his grip on the roster.
Gannon and the Cardinals have seven games to correct course. If not, Arizona could be a hot destination in the coaching carousel.
