Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon shake hands following a game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Lone Bright Spot From Cardinals' Disappointing Sunday

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Dec 22, 2025 11:23 AM ET

The Arizona Cardinals move into the final two weeks of the regular season with a 3-12 record, though there's finally something to show for it.

In spite of their Week 16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Cardinals enter Monday morning with the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, thanks to owning division tie-breakers with the Tennessee Titans. The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns are also 3-12 but pick ahead of Arizona thanks to strength of schedule tie-breakers.

Current NFL Draft Order

1. New York Giants (2-13)
2. Las Vegas Raiders (2-13)
3. Cleveland Browns (3-12)
4. New York Jets (3-12)
5. Arizona Cardinals (3-12)

The Cardinals are heavily favored to lose their final two games of the season (at Cincinnati, at Los Angeles Rams), so a top-five pick is very much within their grasp.

"I thought we battled. I love the resilience (and) thought we battled in there. Ultimately, fell up a little short," Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said after the loss to Atlanta.

"I thought kind of a key component of the game (was) we had some scoring drives. We moved it, but we had to settle for some field goals and they converted some touchdowns, so hats off to them. We're going to come back tomorrow and keep battling and we'll be on to Cincinnati.”

It's no secret the Cardinals are in the mix for a quarterback

The Cardinals will undoubtedly be looking for a new quarterback in 2026. Thanks to Jacoby Brissett's contract running through 2026, the Cardinals have their starter in place for next season, though it's no secret Arizona will be eying a potential quarterback of the future.

While there's sure to be free agent options, aiming high in the 2026 NFL Draft might be their best opportunity with names such as Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore in their sights.

Picking in the top five will give Arizona a much better opportunity to move up the board and secure their guy of the future. While it might not seem like much, the Cardinals holding pick 5 instead of 6 could very well be the difference in getting a deal done.

The unfortunate news is the Raiders, Browns and Jets all conceivably could take a quarterback ahead of so the Cardinals might need to make the biggest swing possible to No. 1 to ensure they walk out of the draft with their gunslinger of the future.