Jonathan Gannon’s time as the Arizona Cardinals’ coach has come to an end after three seasons.
The Cardinals fired Gannon on Jan. 5 after the team finished a 3-14 season, according to multiple reports.
Gannon’s firing comes after the Cardinals failed to build upon the 8-9 record the team generated in 2024. Arizona started the 2025 season with a 2-0 record but dropped 14 of its last 15 games and finished the year on a nine-game losing streak, culminating in a 3-14 campaign.
Gannon’s defense struggled to perform consistently throughout the season, allowing 28.7 points per game – good for the fourth-most in the NFL – while ranking 27th in defensive EPA allowed per play, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. It also ranked 25th in pressure rate despite spending significant offseason resources to add Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell and Walter Nolen in the hopes of improving the team’s pass rush.
Gannon acknowledged his team’s shortcomings ahead of its Week 16 game against the Atlanta Falcons. He referenced needing to make changes to the team’s health and player development systems to help it earn better results moving forward.
‘I believe in myself and I believe in our team,’ Gannon told reporters, per the team’s official website. ‘We are at a dip right now. We’re going through some adversity, but I do believe in us and we will get out of the dip.’
At the same time, Gannon also admitted he knew changes could be afoot if the team’s poor results continued.
‘If we keep doing the same thing and getting the same result that’s not good for anybody in my seat,’ Gannon said.
Those changes ultimately came, and Gannon will finish his three-year stint with the Cardinals owning a 15-36 record. Now, Arizona will head into the offseason looking for a new coach to lead it.
The Cardinals will face similar organizational uncertainty at quarterback, as they will need to make a critical decision about how to handle the three remaining seasons of Kyler Murray’s five-year, $230.5 million contract. Murray missed all but five games because of a foot injury in 2025 and was outperformed by 33-year-old journeyman Jacoby Brissett.