Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon Firing Shocked 'Everyone'

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Mar 3, 2026 12:50 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals are long gone from prior head coach Jonathan Gannon after firing him at the conclusion of the 2025 season, though the shock factor hasn't quite settled in — at least to those in the league.

Gannon was highly expected to get a fourth season in the seat before owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort pulled the plug and eventually hired Mike LaFleur to lead the team moving into 2026.

ESPN's Josh Weinfuss offered the following passage in his takeaways from the NFL combine:

"Everyone I talked in and around the organization, and around the league, in Indy was genuinely surprised that Jonathan Gannon was fired. And I'm not using "everyone" as a general term. I literally mean everyone, everyone. Not one person I talked to said they thought it was coming. All of those people expected him to get one more year to right the ship and then a chance could happen if that didn't take place."

Now that the 2026 NFL combine is in the books, a few nuggets stood out from my time in Indianapolis...

- All the talk - and I mean all the talk - surrounding the Cardinals was about Kyler Murray. Lots of opinions and projections about here he might end up and how. One source…
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) March 2, 2026

More on Jonathan Gannon's Split From Cardinals

The reporting around Gannon's job security very much leaned towards him staying, even through to the end of his 3-14 season. National insiders expected Gannon back mostly due to injuries and hope a new dash of blood at the coordinator spots could make a difference.

Gannon himself was adamant and confident in his security before he was fired the day after the regular season ended.

"We were going in the wrong direction, it seemed like. It came down to wins and losses. We've won one game since week two of the NFL season, and it just felt like it had gotten too far, and it was just time to go in a different direction," said team owner Michael Bidwill after firing Gannon.

Gannon's total record as Arizona's head coach was 15-36 across three years.

"It simply gets down to wins and losses. I don't want to look through every play or every game or everything along those lines. At the end of the day, it's pretty simple. It boils down to wins and losses, and we let too many of them get away."

Now, Gannon will call the Green Bay Packers' defense as their coordinator while LaFleur readies himself for his first season as Arizona's head coach.

Gannon has yet to do any media availability since being hired, so we haven't heard a chance to hear him speak on what transpired last season in the desert.

This article first appeared on Arizona Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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