After I posted yesterday’s rant, the Arizona Cardinals decided to take a hand in the NFL coaching carousel for 2026 and fired head coach Jonathan Gannon. He had been on the job there for three seasons and posted a record of 15-36-0. That is a bad record, but it is even worse than it looks.
- In 2023, the Cards were 4-13-0 – – but showed signs of life.
- In 2024, the Cards were 8-9-0 – – and looked competitive.
- In 2025, the Cards were 3-14-0 – – and lost 14 of their last 15 games.
I thought the Cards were ready to make a positive splash in 2025 and I picked them to win the NFC West in my Pre-Season Analysis. [Aside: Snickering is permissible here …] What looked promising to me back in August 2025 now appears to be sewage backup situation in Arizona.
On the assumption that teams have decided on their coaching situations going forward, there are six teams with job openings. None of the opportunities look like great situations but let me consider each of them here. These are in alphabetical order and not in any order of preference.
- Browns: The Browns’ defense is excellent; there is no question about that. The QB next year will be either Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel and that is not excellent. The Deshaun Watson contract will hang around the neck of the new coach through the end of the 2027 season and the geniuses who created that contract mess are all still in place in Cleveland. Who knows what else those folks have up their sleeves? The Browns will draft at #6 in 2026.
- Cardinals: The QB situation is in flux – – unless the new coach wants to try to reinvent Kyler Murray. They have two excellent receivers in Michael Wilson and Trey McBride. They spent on defensive players last year, but that never seemed to mesh. They have the #3 pick in the upcoming draft.
- Falcons: The team has a couple of MAJOR unknowns to deal with:
-
- Can Michael Penix Jr. stay healthy?
- When healthy, is Michael Penix Jr. really an NFL franchise QB?
-
The Falcons have plenty of offensive weapons and a tolerable defense, but if Penix is fool’s gold … One big plus for this job is that the Falcons are in the NFC South and that division is “less than fearsome” as witnessed by the fact that this year’s division champion posted a record of 8-9-0. The Falcons do not have a first-round pick this year after trading it away last year.
- Giants: It sure looks as if the Giants have a real asset at QB in Jaxson Dart and if both Malik Nabors and Cam Skattebo can return to form after serious injuries last season, the Giants could be better than average on offense. The defense has some quality players up front but the linebacking and the defensive backfield need serious upgrades. The Giants draft at #5 this year so there should be plenty of quality defenders available to them.
- Raiders: The Raiders have three talented players on the roster – – Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby and Ashton Jeanty. They also draft first in 2026 and should get a quality player there. [Aside: The last time the Raiders had t=he overall #1 pick and took a QB as they are expected to do here, they took JaMarcus Russell. Let’s just agree that it did not end well for the team.] The rest of the roster is a soggy mess and any aspirant for the job there must convince himself that Raiders’ owner, Mark Davis, will allow things to settle into some sort of pattern. Stability is not part of that franchise’s DNA…
- Titans: Similar to the Falcons above, the Titans need to know if Cam Ward is indeed an NFL franchise QB. He had some “good moments” in 2025 – – but not nearly as many as he had “bad moments”. The Titans draft fourth in April and have plenty of need for talent upgrades throughout the roster. There is an “owner issue” here too. When Titans’ ownership had an internal squabble between the coach and the GM, these owners sided with the GM and fired Mike Vrabel. Go look it up …
Finally, here is a closing thought from my favorite curmudgeon, H. L. Mencken:
“It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………