Just when you thought the Arizona Cardinals’ head-coaching search may be coming to a close, they pull you right back in.
Arizona, despite reportedly narrowing down their search to three finalists last week and hosting Mike LaFleur, is now one of the only two teams still on the hunt for a head coach.
In what felt like the beginning of the end to Arizona’s search was anything but, with the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator leaving the Valley without a deal in place.
Landing on LaFleur earlier this week would have at least moved the needle forward, giving the new Cardinals’ head coach a chance to hit the ground running with staff additions before the Super Bowl takes place next week. If anything, it would have put plenty of Cardinals fans’ minds at ease.
Instead, the search continues.
Not only did LaFleur head home, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is now reportedly back in the mix and meeting with the Cardinals on Saturday for a second time. The Las Vegas Raiders also remain interested, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reporting “it’s probably (Kubiak’s) to lose.”
Yes, Kubiak has been atop of my list when it comes to Arizona’s current pool of head-coaching candidates. In addition to what he brings to the run game, Kubiak’s work with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba should have Cardinals fans salivating at what he could potentially get out of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson.
But can the Cardinals seriously afford to wait and potentially put themselves behind the eight ball even more if Kubiak says, “no thanks?”
Eight of 10 teams have filled head-coaching vacancies so far this hiring cycle. Plenty of candidates the Cardinals were tied to have been plucked as it is. The talent pool has seriously dried up.
Kubiak could very well be the Cardinals’ top option at this point in their search. Are they his?
That’s seriously up for debate.
Kubiak has been considered one of the top head-coaching candidates this cycle — even when Robert Saleh and John Harbaugh were still on the board.
And with that, comes a ton of leverage.
On top of the Raiders’ job, which appears to be the frontrunner between Las Vegas and Arizona, Seattle is still in the mix to retain him.
Joining Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Thursday, Tacoma News Tribune’s Seahawks beat writer Gregg Bell said he believes Kubiak has a really good chance at running it back with Seattle, albeit with some added incentives.
“I’ve been told the Seahawks are going to make every effort to keep him,” Bell added. “Probably offer him a raise, probably offer him a promotion in title.”
If that’s the case, what are we doing here?
It sounds like Kubiak might prefer both the Seahawks and Raiders over the Cardinals. After all, he’s prepping for a Super Bowl in his first year with Seattle. He’s also got somewhat of an idea of what’s going on at quarterback in Las Vegas with the Raiders holding the No. 1 overall pick and likely nabbing Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
The Cardinals have neither recent success nor a concrete answer at QB to fall back on. They finished bottom of the barrel in the NFC West, a full nine games back from third place.
The rest of the division was fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC West late in the year. The Cardinals were among the first teams eliminated from playoff contention.
Kyler Murray is still under contract, but all signs point to a divorce between the two sides this offseason. Jacoby Brissett is still in the building but on a one-year deal and is not a long term solution for the franchise.
Arizona would also be another candidate down with time seriously running out, especially if Kubiak drags out his decision post-Super Bowl before opting to return to Seattle or take the Raiders gig.
What happens if the Cardinals do in fact strike out on Kubiak? Would LaFleur still be in the mix or even want the job? Much like Kubiak, LaFleur could opt to return to his OC role on a team expected to have continued success in the coming seasons.
Let’s not forget Anthony Campanile — one of Arizona’s reported finalists — has already decided to return to Jacksonville as the Jaguars’ DC. Losing out on Kubiak and LaFleur would mean just one of those finalists remains in former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris.
And landing the job through process of elimination just doesn’t scream confidence.
Does Vance Joseph *ducks* suddenly re-enter the chat? At the very least, it’s something to keep in mind as the clock continues to tick.
Remember, the Cardinals’ job is far from the most appealing. Landing a top candidate was going to take some serious moving and shaking. Even then, it was a stretch.
This waiting game goes beyond head coach, too. Whoever takes over for the Cardinals is going to need to build a coaching staff around him.
The Cardinals were in a similar boat when they hired Gannon after Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run in 2022. With a limited talent pool, Gannon turned to the college ranks to help fill his staff.
The lack of experience underneath him was glaring and three years later, he’s no longer a head coach.
Are the Cardinals about to see history repeat itself?
