Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson (84) reacts with teammates after a touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Rams Induce Mass Departures From Division Rival Cardinals

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Jan 5, 2026 2:00 PM ET

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. There are many reasons why the Arizona Cardinals made the decision Monday to virtually clean house and the Los Angeles Rams contributed to two of them.

After the Rams blew out the Cardinals in Arizona and then rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat them by 17 points in the season finale, the Cardinals have fired head coach Jonathan Gannon.

According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, this is the first move by Arizona in a small but succinct series of moves to get the franchise back to a competitive state next season. This move marks the third straight coach to be fired under five years in charge. A massive shift from the success enjoyed under Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians during the 2000s and 2010s.

"The hope was, if the #AZCardinals showed some fight down the stretch it could save Jonathan Gannon's job," wrote Rapoport. "Instead, the defense struggled mightily. And JG is out."

Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rapoport would go on to say that the Cardinals are also likely to part ways with Kyler Murray. Murray has been injury-riddled throughout his career and has only made the playoffs once, a blowout loss to the Rams in the Wild Card Round following the 2021 regular season.

"The Cardinals have major QB questions and with the likelihood that they'll move on from Kyler Murray, the new coach has plenty of questions," added Rapoport. "But there is plenty of talent on this roster."

How Does This Affect The Rams

Despite the record against Arizona, the Cardinals under Gannon have continually pushed Los Angeles to the brink, with a variety of playmakers having statistical revelations against the Rams. The Cardinals also were the last team to truly blow out the Rams, doing so last season with a 31 point win.

I would expect the Cardinals to express interest in both Mike LaFleur and Chris Shula but there's another card at play at that is Nick Caley, the Texans' offensive coordinator. Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort comes from the Patriots. So does Caley, who was the Rams' tight ends coach from 2023-2024.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Caley has rebounded from his rough start in Houston and Ossenfort worked with Texans' general manager Nick Caserio for years, thus cementing the connection. I think Caley and Brian Flores, former New England defensive coordinator will be in the running for the job. Flores is connected to the Rams via Kevin O'Connell.

What all that means is four candidates who are in a position to take assistants from the Rams are all linked to a division rival. A situation to monitor.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: