Two days after they were spurned by Robert Saleh, the Arizona Cardinals now have a second-round interview with Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, per NFL Network.
Campanile had not previously been identified as a Cardinals’ candidate, as his first interview was not public knowledge. Unlike most teams with head coach openings, the Cardinals are not publicly announcing their interview schedule.
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Campanile’s scheduled interview on Thursday, Jan. 22, will make him the first coach whom the Cardinals have successfully brought back for a second-round interview. They had planned follow-up sessions with Saleh and Jeff Hafley, but both coaches were hired elsewhere, with Saleh landing in Tennessee and Hafley hired by the Dolphins.
The 43-year-old Campanile rose through the high school and college ranks before moving to the NFL in 2020.
He spent four years as the Dolphins’ linebackers coach, surviving the transition from Brian Flores to Mike McDaniel. In 2024, he moved to Green Bay, where he served as the linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator, overseeing a unit that ranked third in yards per carry allowed. The Packers ranked 23rd in that metric the year before Campanile arrived and 12th the year after he departed.
That was enough to land Campanile the defensive coordinator job in Jacksonville, where he helped the Jaguars become the league’s eighth-best scoring defense after ranking 27th a year earlier.
Dec 14, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA;Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile stands on the field during pregame warmups against the New York Jets at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images
It’s a resume of consistent success that helps mask Campanile’s relative inexperience. This past season was his first as an NFL defensive coordinator. He previously served in that role for three years at the high school level, as well as one year as Boston College’s co-defensive coordinator in 2018.
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Many of the other candidates believed to be high on the Cardinals’ current list are coordinators for teams still in the playoffs. Those coaches — a group that includes Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak — cannot interview in person until Jan. 26, a day after the conclusion of conference championship games.
Because the Jaguars lost to the Bills in the wild-card round, Campanile is available now, enabling the Cardinals to jumpstart their second round of interviews.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals to interview Jaguars’ Anthony Campanile