Will Arizona Cardinals head coaching gamble backfire?

The Cardinals waiting game:

The problem with interviewing Kubiak is his very obvious not being interested in the job. The 38-year-old has been connected to the Raiders job since the very beginning and likely to end up there. One of the few favorites for the Las Vegas gig was Denver Broncos passing game coordinator Davis Webb, who recently withdrew from the job, likely because Kubiak’s hiring is a foregone conclusion.

Everyone in the NFL world seems to understand Kubiak is heading the Sin City, except for the Cardinals. The franchise has an interview scheduled with Kubiak over the weekend, but seems more like a formality, with him also meeting the Raiders during that timeframe.

Bidwill and Ossenfort’s recent surge to try and bring in the Seattle OC is a dangerous gamble on their part. Reports have indicated that LaFleur wants to be a head coach and comes from a very talented background under the leadership of Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan.

The only explanation for the hesitation in hiring LaFleur is someone in the organization doesn’t like him for the position. Either Bidwill and Ossenfort have something holding themselves back from selecting LaFleur to be the head coach. Being one of only two teams remaining with a head coaching opening does allow some breathing room on making a decision.

Regardless, Arizona can’t wait too long. Hiring LaFleur after letting him leave and interviewing another candidate only for you to circle back to the Rams OC because of rejection could lead to a rocky relationship before even being hired. Waiting could lead to LaFleur and Kubiak going back to their respective team, forcing the Cardinals to pivot from the clear best two options on the market.