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 Made Jonathan Gannon Decision in Final Hours

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Jan 6, 2026 1:50 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals move into the 2026 offseason with one major decision already decided.

The Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon after three years of service, opening the door for what will be Arizona's third head coach in five years.

Faces atop the organization such as owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort met with reporters this week to discuss the decision, and you could tell it weighed heavily on both men to ultimately send Gannon packing.

Reports suggested Gannon was safe in the middle of the season and up until his final moments, even after finishing with a 3-14 record, which added to the shock factor when the news finally dropped.

It seemed as if Gannon didn't know his fate until the early hours of Monday morning.

When Jonathan Gannon Knew He Was Being Fired

Bidwill said he wanted to wait until the season concluded before making any decisions on Gannon and his staff -- even sleeping on the decision and meeting with Ossenfort on Monday morning to confirm it.

"Three years ago, this roster looked a lot different. A combination of draft and free agency, injuries are obviously a factor. But when I look at just the totality of the circumstances -- I wanted 17 games over the 18 weeks to make that decision. Monti and I wanted to give the benefit of those coaches and those players to see a whole body of work for the whole season," Bidwill told reporters.

"And at the end of last night, when we had a chance to speak and then again this morning after sleeping on it, we decided this was the best direction to go."

Ossenfort added, "I feel we're all accountable for where we are. And that starts with me. And so I think we all have to look in the mirror and figure out where we have gone wrong, what we can do better, and how we proceed from here. And so, Michael and I spoke last night, like he said, we spoke again this morning, and decided that this was the best course of action for us as a team."

NFL insider Ben Allbright says Gannon was led to believe he'd be back up until his final moments.

Yeah, I would suggest that up to even yesterday on his birthday he was being led to believe that he would be back
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) January 5, 2026