At 3-7, the Cardinals are headed for a last-place finish in the NFC West. Odds are they’ll miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. There may be questions about the job security of general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon in the coming weeks as a result.
The Cardinals hired Ossenfort, previously a Titans executive, in January 2023. He picked Gannon, formerly the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, a month later. Arizona has gone a woeful 15-29 in two-plus seasons under its current regime.
Considering the team’s lack of progress, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that “opinions are split on whether Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill will take action.” ESPN colleague Dan Graziano expects Ossenfort and Gannon to remain in place, though.
Both Fowler and Graziano note that the Cardinals haven’t been in position to draft a franchise QB under Ossenfort and Gannon. Bidwill could give them the opportunity to do so in April.
The Cardinals’ present leadership inherited former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray when they arrived in Arizona. However, Murray’s time in the desert could soon run out. Statistically, the seventh-year man has endured an up-and-down career with the Cardinals. From a team standpoint, the Cardinals’ lone playoff appearance under Murray yielded disastrous results in a wild-card round loss to the Rams in January 2022. The Cardinals have finished below .500 in every season since then.
A season after helping the Cardinals to the playoffs, Murray tore his ACL in Week 14 of the 2022 campaign. The recovery process limited him to eight games in 2023. Murray bounced back to play his first 17-game slate last season, but a mid-foot sprain has held him to five appearances this year. Murray has been on IR since Nov. 5. He won’t play again until Week 14 at the earliest.
With veteran backup Jacoby Brissett performing well in Murray’s place, it’s reportedly possible the latter has played his last snap with the Cardinals. Murray is still on the five-year, $230.5MM deal Arizona gave him in 2022, and he’s guaranteed $36.8MM in 2026. His $19.5MM salary for 2027 will vest on March 22, 2026. The Cardinals could trade or release Murray before then, which would enable them to escape that portion of the 28-year-old’s contract.
If the Cardinals move on from Murray ahead of next year’s draft, it would enable Ossenfort and Gannon to devote their attention to selecting his successor. Clayton Tune, a 2023 fifth-rounder who’s now with the Packers, is the only QB the Cardinals have drafted since they brought in Ossenfort and Gannon. Assuming those two stay in place, that figures to change next spring.