If there's one trait that describes most NFL owners, it's impatience. Owners, understandably, want to see their team win games. When they don't, somebody has to take the blame. Head coaches are often the first to go.
According to one NFL analyst, Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill will have a difficult decision to make if his team doesn't meet expectations this season.
PFF says Jonathan Gannon is on the hot seat
In a recent article, PFF analyst Bradley Locker claimed that Jonathan Gannon is one of ten NFL head coaches on the hot seat this season. Locker says, "If Arizona finishes below .500 for a third straight season, it wouldn’t be shocking if Gannon were fired, even if progress is displayed."
Jonathan Gannon has had mixed results in his time in the valley. He seems to be doing all of the right things, but it hasn't translated to wins. In two seasons under Gannon, the Cardinals have won just 12 total games. They've failed to make the playoffs each year.
In most cases, this would be enough to justify the "hot seat" label. At the end of the day, NFL coaches are paid to lead their teams to wins. Context is important, though.
When he arrived in 2023, Jonathan Gannon inherited what was arguably the worst roster in the league. Outside of Kyler Murray and Budda Baker, the Cardinals had very few long-term pieces to build around. Jonathan Gannon and Cardinals' general manager Monti Ossenfort (hired in the same offseason) have slowly built a competent team from that rubble. It would have been unreasonable to expect winning seasons immediately.
While Gannon has not yet led this team to the playoffs, he has at least shown progress toward that goal. The Cardinals doubled their 2023 win total last season, going from four wins to eight. After a stellar offseason in which they completely rebuilt the defense, Arizona is set to take another step forward.
Jonathan Gannon's creativity on defense has been a huge part of that progress. Despite the severe talent deficit the Cardinals were faced with on defense throughout the 2024 season, they ranked near league average in both points and yards allowed. With the dramatic influx of talent the unit has received, it's reasonable to expect a top-ten defense in 2025.
Cardinals' owner Michael Bidwill has only been with the team since 2019, but he's already shown that he's more patient than many owners. He gave Kliff Kingsbury four years in charge despite his poor results. With the clear direction that Gannon and Ossenfort have shown, you'd expect Bidwill to extend some grace.
Still, losing has a way of making relationships turn sour.