The Arizona Cardinals did not take a step forward in head coach Jonathan Gannon's third season at the helm since leaving a Super Bowl situation with the Philadelphia Eagles. Arizona's step back has been so dramatic, though, that the Cardinals may not be able to justify a fourth year of paying the ex-Eagles defensive coordinator $5 million to bring none of the good traits he got hired for from his time in Philadelphia.
Gannon and former Philadelphia linebackers coach Nick Rallis no longer have the elite trench talent to look like defensive masterminds. Ranked dead last in total defense during the 2025 season, Gannon's unit looks like the most poorly-coached in the league.
Things aren't perfect under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio by any sense. Philadelphia is coming off a Super Bowl, though, and the pass defense has been elite. That's an ace in the hole for the Eagles come playoff time. Some teams, like Arizona, haven't thought of the playoffs in quite some time.
The Cardinals have only had the postseason on their radar once under Gannon. That was in 2024, when Arizona lost four of its last five games to not only start its offseason early but also finish with a losing record.
To follow that up with what 2025 has been should be a one-way ticket to the unemployment line for Gannon. It looks like his players quit on him, which is damning. The Cardinals now enter Week 18 with a 3-13 record, which is tied for the second-worst effort behind the Las Vegas Raiders (2-14)
How much does it say about Gannon's coaching as much as it says about them, though, since he has produced results in his past life in a franchise not known for being perennially irrelevant?
Should Eagles Bring Jonathan Gannon Back?
You can't hold it against Gannon to find a head coaching job elsewhere, with a promotion not possible in the City of Brotherly Love. Nick Sirriani could sign off on bringing Gannon back to his coaching staff, but would general manager Howie Roseman?
The break-up featured a contentious tampering scandal, but Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort is the one who looks like a fool now, if anyone. Like Gannon, Ossenfort could be shown the door this offseason in the desert as well.
Philadelphia would do well to have Gannon back in the fold, and there aren't many other landing spots that could justify paying him much after how pathetic the Cardinals have looked this season. If Sirriani and Fangio are okay with it, who says no? Having both minds in the locker room could be a positive, if there's not an underlying streak of competitiveness between the two. Some coaches just make better assistants and coordinators than leading men, too.
Get everyone on the same page, and the Eagles could put together a strong coaching staff with multiple proven winners with familiarity with the team's veterans.
If not, Gannon could be a sneaky hire for a team that has a strong talent base for him to inherit.