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Cardinals HC Gannon welcomes the pressure and will lean on his players for 2025 season

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 4:54 PM ET

GLENDALE – Despite a promising second season under his belt, Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon was named as someone under the most pressure heading into 2025. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell named multiple players and coaches that has something to prove heading into next season, with a failure to live up to expectations could result in being benched or fired.

Gannon doubled his win total from his inaugural season and seemed to be making the right steps towards the future. The team’s lack of talent helped 42-year-old head coach not face any backlash when the team would underperformed on Sunday. However, a stellar free agency of signing multiple Pro Bowlers has started to add the weight to Gannon’s shoulders, according to Barnwell.

Barnwell on Cardinals roster upgrades mean for Gannon:

“Gannon has basically spent two seasons with his hands tied behind his back on his preferred side of the ball. Arizona simply didn’t have the talent on defense to do much in 2023.

“That has changed. Gannon imported edge rusher Josh Sweat from his old stomping grounds in Philadelphia, signed ageless wonder Calais Campbell after an impressive season with the Dolphins, brought in nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson from the Browns…Gannon has the chance to take a step forward. If he gets things right, he can probably count on a contract extension from an ownership group that has been extremely generous to its coaches in the past. If the defense struggles, though, he could be on the hot seat or out of a job after a third consecutive losing season.”

Gannon spoke with the media at training camp this week and spoke on leaning on his players to lead. Quarterback Kyler Murray was named by Gannon as a leader for the team, as his teammates want to follow the six-year Cardinals quarterback. Building chemistry and trust with teammates is what makes a team successful on the field, and Gannon understands that by allowing players to be vocal.

When expectations and hype begin to be labeled on a team, it can cause coaches to change their perspective of how to lead the team. Gannon seems determined to continue building off the blocks placed in his first two seasons, understanding those moments has led the team’s current situation.

“[The coaches] have laid the track downs, and [the players] are driving the car,” Gannon said. “That’s cool to see. You got to have some trust and faith that they’re going to drive it the right way, and I do.”

As he enters his third season with Arizona, Gannon is eyeing his first postseason berth and the team’s first since 2021. The Cardinals haven’t won a playoff game with Murray under center, which will likely be the goal for Gannon to get his quarterback his first playoff win and bring his team deep into January.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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