{"id":655531,"date":"2026-01-05T09:21:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T09:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/655531\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T09:21:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T09:21:34","slug":"where-do-cardinals-go-from-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/655531\/","title":{"rendered":"Where do Cardinals go from here?"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The Arizona Cardinals\u2019 disappointment of a season ended Sunday behind a 37-20 loss<\/a> to the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s onto the offseason where changes must be made.<\/p>\n

After posting a 3-14 finish<\/a>, how must the Cardinals attack the offseason from a coaching and personnel standpoint?<\/p>\n

Arizona Sports hosts dive into that very question with the regular season now in the past:<\/p>\n

Rapid reactions: What should Cardinals\u2019 offseason roadmap entail?<\/p>\n

Luke Lapinski, Wolf & Luke co-host:<\/p>\n

This season has really highlighted the difference between excitement and belief for me. And right now, the Cardinals have some work to do if they want to generate either of those for the fan base.<\/p>\n

Yes, this team was dealt an unreasonable number of injuries. Football isn\u2019t always fair, and the Cardinals felt the brunt of that this season. Looking at the totality of it now, it probably wasn\u2019t realistic to overcome all those absences and make the playoffs in a loaded NFC West.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t justify going 3-14 and putting up the most losses in franchise history, though. And that\u2019s where this goes from a season you just write off as bad luck to an offseason where change seems inevitable.<\/p>\n

Which brings us back to excitement and belief. Is firing coaches or coordinators really going to satisfy the fan base? Maybe. But there are clearly more than one or two issues facing the Cardinals right now. To me, the biggest thing they absolutely have to do in the next eight months is find their quarterback of the future. It\u2019s non-negotiable.<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s a reclamation project with a veteran QB on another team right now, so be it. But it\u2019s dangerous to assume that guy even exists. Just because Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold have resurrected their careers doesn\u2019t mean someone is going to do that every year. Honestly, the biggest name most teams are going to be looking at for a revival in a new city in 2026 is probably Kyler Murray.<\/p>\n

You could make a case Jacoby Brissett has been a version of that, too. But it hasn\u2019t translated to wins \u2014 another reminder that this team has more than one issue to address. Still, Brissett\u2019s a valuable piece to have back. Maybe he begins next season as the starter while a rookie grows on the bench, the way Brissett helped Drake Maye evolve in New England last year. Or maybe he\u2019s just mentoring the new guy. Either way, Brissett\u2019s a solid quarterback who can step in when you need him to, and someone you want around your future franchise QB. But now you have to actually find that future franchise QB. And you don\u2019t get the luxury of kicking it down the line a year just because the 2027 draft class might be better.<\/p>\n

If they find that guy, the excitement will start to come back. Imagine the Cardinals going into camp with Dante Moore or even Fernando Mendoza on the roster. That\u2019s a tangible direction, and it\u2019s a significant step. It\u2019s easy to get fired up for football \u2014 that\u2019s why we all do this \u2014 and aggressively going after the right quarterback in this draft would give fans a legitimate reason to be excited. But belief? That\u2019s something this team can only earn back with actual wins on the field at this point.<\/p>\n

Vince Marotta,\u00a0Bickley & Marotta\u00a0co-host:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gotta coach better. Gotta play better. I\u2019ve heard that somewhere before.<\/p>\n

Dave Burns, Burns & Gambo co-host:<\/p>\n

If the Cardinals are going to keep Jonathan Gannon \u2014 which I think is a huge risk for whatever that is worth \u2014 they need to marry a new offensive coordinator with a new quarterback. A combo good enough to finish football games and play their best when it matters most. The supply side of the QB equation is low, and the demand is high, so no sticker shock allowed when it comes to the next QB1.<\/p>\n

They need to drastically overhaul the offensive line using the currency of cap space and draft picks. They need to find their next James Conner. They need to make emotionless evaluations of their training staff to make sure there isn\u2019t a better way of preserving their players. They need to be equally as harsh in evaluating why a defense that was such a priority last offseason was such a failure.<\/p>\n

And they need to do it all in a division that features three of the best eight records in all of football\u2026 while under the pressure of a looming change if things don\u2019t get better right away\u2026 and the eroded trust of your fan base. It\u2019s fair to wonder if it\u2019s an impossible offseason task.<\/p>\n

Tyler Drake, Cardinals Corner co-host:<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of ways the Cardinals can go about this offseason, and all avenues must be evaluated.<\/p>\n

From top to bottom, this was an epic failure of a season and heads must roll. I don\u2019t see general manager Monti Ossenfort getting the boot just yet. Others are going to get the ax before he does, whether or not you think he\u2019s to blame for the lack of depth on the roster.<\/p>\n

Head coach Jonathan Gannon feels more like a coin flip on whether he stays or not, but I think he gets one more chance to right the ship.<\/p>\n

After all, do you really want a hard reset where another three- or four-win season is about as good as it\u2019s going to get in 2026? That\u2019s about as tough a sell as keeping the current regime intact.<\/p>\n

Beyond those two names, the return percentages take a dip.<\/p>\n

Injuries are one thing. Not being able to account for them is another.<\/p>\n

Offensively, a quarterback change is needed. The Kyler Murray experiment is over and a departure feels long overdue. It\u2019s not all on him, but seven seasons and one bad playoff appearance is enough of a sample size.<\/p>\n

Jacoby Brissett is nowhere close to the long-term answer but can give the team some depth and at the very least a mentor for the next franchise signal caller.<\/p>\n

Does that start this April in the 2026 NFL Draft? The Cardinals are going to have a top-three pick after Sunday\u2019s showing, and trading up higher would no longer break the bank. But Arizona must be absolutely enamored with the prospect. This can\u2019t be a one-foot-in-one-foot-out situation.<\/p>\n

Fernando Mendoza has clearly separated himself from the pack. If Arizona wants to flip the script, go for it all.<\/p>\n

As for the status of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, it\u2019s time to move on.<\/p>\n

The same goes for special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Jeff Rodgers.<\/p>\n

Moving on from defensive coordinator Nick Rallis is definitely on the table, too, with 40 burgers seeming like a weekly possibility late in the season despite the defensive upgrades this past offseason.<\/p>\n

For me, I think a change at two of the three coordinators is a must. And while cases can easily be made for Gannon and Ossenfort getting the ax, they get one more chance to get it right. That being said, they will have a magnifying glass centered on both of them heading into next year.<\/p>\n

If things go awry in a hurry, they\u2019re the next ones out.<\/p>\n

Follow @AZSports<\/a><\/p>\n

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