The Arizona Cardinals continue to phone potential candidates about their head coach openings, but the truth is, the team can’t actually bring them in for an interview until their season has officially wrapped up.
However, that is not the case for Arizona’s recent target for the position, as his season wrapped up on Monday Night Football in brutal fashion.
Serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, the Cardinals have requested to interview Arthur Smith for their head coaching vacancy.
In 2025, Pittsburgh placed in the bottom half of the league in terms of passing yards, rushing yards, total yards, and points per game. This alone raises questions about why Arizona is choosing to hire a candidate who hasn’t seen elite production in his given field.
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Keep in mind, Smith had the privilege of coaching future hall of fame quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. A season that was likely his last in the league.
Before joining Pittsburgh in 2024, Smith served as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021 to 2023, where he went 21–30 with no playoff appearances. While he did build somewhat of a culture, it wasn’t enough to save his job with the team.
The Cardinals requesting an interview with Smith adds him to an extensive list that contains the following candidates: Thomas Brown, Matt Burke, Jeff Hafley, Vance Joseph, Klint Kubiak, Mike LaFleur, Jesse Minter, Raheem Morris, Matt Nagy, Robert Saleh, Chris Shula, Arthur Smith, and Anthony Weaver.
On top of this spree of candidates, the Cardinals also talked to John Harbaugh, who spent 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravenss. During his tenure, he made the playoffs 12 times while winning the Super Bowl in 2012.
As mentioned, Arizona can only interview candidates whose season has ended. Only six of the above apply to that criteria.
It will be interesting to see how things transpire for Ossenfort and the front office over the next couple of weeks.