Packers Hire Jonathan Gannon, But What Happened With Cardinals?

The Green Bay Packers have a new defensive coordinator, with former Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon replacing new Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley.

Gannon spent the last three seasons with Arizona, where he compiled a 15-36 record. During a season-ending nine-game losing streak, the Cardinals allowed 37-plus points in six games. However, during his final year as defensive coordinator of the Eagles in 2022, Philadelphia reached the Super Bowl behind a high-level defense.

Donnie Druin is the publisher of Cardinals On SI. He provided some insight on Gannon.

1. Jonathan Gannon’s track record in Philadelphia was really good. Not so much in Arizona. The big-picture question is what do you think went wrong?

Druin: That’s the big picture and golden question in Arizona. What happened?

After a clear reset year in 2023, when quarterback Kyler Murray missed the first half of the season while recovering from an ACL injury, the Cardinals narrowly missed the playoffs in 2024 with an 8-9 record. In free agency this past offseason, they invested heavily on the defensive side of the ball ahead.

Arizona started 2-0 but collapsed to proportions rarely seen in league history. After the back-to-back wins, it lost five consecutive games – all by four points or less – including Week 7 against Green Bay. After winning at Dallas after the bye, the Cardinals dropped their final nine games to finish 3-14.

Ultimately, two things led to Gannon’s demise. The obvious talking point in the desert has been injuries. The Cardinals used upwards of 80 players entering the final few weeks, which led the NFL. People inside the building described Arizona’s as a “preseason” roster, as deep-depth-chart guys and practice-squad call-ups were relied upon heavily.