The Arizona Cardinals have fired Jonathan Gannon after three seasons as the team’s coach, per multiple reports.
Gannon posted a 15-36 record across his three seasons with the Cardinals. The team entered the 2025 NFL season hoping to build on their 8-9 record in 2024. Instead, after a 2-0 start, Arizona dropped 14 of its final 15 games to finish with one of the NFL’s worst records at 3-14.
Now, the Cardinals will look to rebuild. They will be armed with a top-3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft but will also need to figure out their quarterback situation after Kyler Murray was outperformed by journeyman Jacoby Brissett and played just five games due to injury.
Who could be the top options to lead the Cardinals after Gannon’s dismissal? Here’s a look at the coaching candidates Arizona could pursue as the 2026 NFL coaching carousel begins spinning.
Who will replace Jonathan Gannon? 7 Cardinals replacements
Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator
Flores was considered a frontrunner for the Cardinals’ coaching job in 2023 before he removed himself for consideration for the role. Could the two parties pursue a partnership three years later?
Flores is one of the league’s top defensive minds, and his pressure-heavy scheme has confused opposing quarterbacks at each of his NFL stops. The Vikings improved rapidly under the 44-year-old’s tutelage and finished the 2025 season ranked No. 1 in pressure rate and No. 7 in defensive EPA per play, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Flores wouldn’t just give Arizona’s defense a much-needed identity. He also comes with head coaching experience, having gone 24-25 across three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He posted winning records in each of his last two years in Miami, so his proven track record of success should appeal to Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort, who overlapped with Flores while with the New England Patriots.
Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator
Joseph is another defensive-minded option who has ties to the Cardinals. The 53-year-old was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2019-22 under Kliff Kingsbury and and helped the team log the sixth-best defensive EPA per play in 2021.
Joseph has continued to show his great defensive mind with the Broncos, leading them to top-10 defensive finishes in each of the last two seasons. This year, Denver ranks No. 2 overall in pressure rate and has generated a league-high 68 sacks while allowing just 18.3 points per game for the season, third-fewest in the NFL.
Klint Kubiak, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator
If the Cardinals want to pivot away from a defensive-minded coach, they could consider trying to poach Kubiak from the rival Seahawks.
Kubiak, 38, is an up-and-coming offensive mind who led the Seahawks to a top-10 finishes in yards and points per game in his first season with the team. Sam Darnold was able to build upon his career-best 2024 season in his first year with Kubiak, joining Tom Brady as just the second quarterback in NFL history to win 14 games in back-to-back seasons.
Kubiak did similarly strong work with Derek Carr in 2024, so his track record developing quarterbacks is obviously impressive. He has also worked with Kyle Shanahan (2023) and is the son of Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak.
Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator
Shula is another assistant the Cardinals could try to lure away from a divisional rival. The 39-year-old has coordinated Los Angeles’ defense for each of the last two seasons, turning the unit into a top-10 scoring defense and finishing 10th in defensive EPA per play in 2025.
Shula has worked with Sean McVay since the offensive wunderkind took over the Rams in 2017. McVay’s coaching tree has enjoyed success league-wide, so that could help Shula in his quest to earn an NFL coaching job.
Mike McCarthy, former Dallas Cowboys head coach
The Cardinals could be looking for stability as they navigate a tricky rebuild at quarterback. That could lead them to target McCarthy, who would be a safe, high-floor hire.
McCarthy, 62, spent the 2025 NFL season out of the NFL but has a proven track record across his time with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. He has a 174-122-2 career record and has earned double-digit wins in 11 of his 18 seasons while routinely getting solid production out of Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott.
McCarthy’s playoff success since winning Super Bowl 45 has been fleeting, as he has just an 11-11 overall postseason record. Nonetheless, the Cardinals could consider him as an proven, offensive-minded pivot for the organization.
Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator
Smith represents another potential retread option for the Cardinals. The 43-year-old didn’t find much success with the Atlanta Falcons, notching a 7-10 record in each of his three seasons with the team, but he has continually shown an ability to design a quality running game. That could appeal to the Cardinals, who are navigating uncertainty at quarterback and logged bottom-tier rushing production in 2025.
It also helps that Smith and Ossenfort spent the 2020 season together with the Tennessee Titans. Perhaps their familiarity will allow Smith to at least land an interview in Arizona.
Klayton Adams, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator
Adams is another run-game maven who helped Javonte Williams enjoy a career-best season with the Cowboys in 2025. It was the 42-year-old Adams’ first season in Dallas, and he helped oversee a unit that ranked top-five in yards per game, points per game and offensive EPA per play.
The main concerns with Adams? He has only been an offensive coordinator for one season and didn’t have play-calling duties. The positive? Adams spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons as the Cardinals’ offensive line coach, giving him familiarity with the organization. Ossenfort – who also worked with Adams in Tennessee – may at least bring him in for an interview.