Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon to Be Cardinals’ Head Coach

The new coach will replace Kliff Kingsbury after his four-year tenure in Arizona.

The Cardinals officially hired their next head coach, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, on Tuesday.

Gannon and the Cardinals agreed to a five-year contract, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The hiring is the final head coach opening to be filled during this offseason’s coaching carousel. Gannon’s move isn’t the only one Philadelphia dealt with on Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was announced as the Colts’ head coach hours before Schefter’s report. Both moves come in the wake of the Eagles’ loss in the Super Bowl to the Chiefs. 

Welcome to the Valley, Coach!

We’ve agreed to terms with Jonathan Gannon to become our next head coach! pic.twitter.com/jDp9MezorO

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) February 14, 2023

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Eagles “made an effort to keep Gannon in the fold.” But in the end, he seems set to join a team that has undergone major change. 

Breer: Super Bowl Takeaways: Penalty Spoils Eagles’ Season, What’s Next for Both Teams

Gannon will replace Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired on Jan. 9 after four seasons in Arizona. The Cardinals posted a 4–13 record in the 2022 season, the worst record during his tenure. Kingsbury took the team to the playoffs once in 2021, but they were eliminated in the wild-card round. 

The Cardinals had quite the tumultuous season on and off the field. On top of Kingsbury’s firing, general manager Steve Keim stepped away from the team after the season due to health reasons. Monti Ossenfort took over as general manager last month, coming from the Titans where he was the director of player personnel.

The coaching staff saw a couple more changes in 2022. Ahead of the season, running backs coach James Saxon was put on administrative leave after he was charged with two counts of domestic battery from a May incident in Indianapolis. He resigned in October after pleading guilty to one count of domestic battery. Then, in November, offensive line coach Sean Kugler was fired after he groped a woman during the team’s trip to Mexico.

Quarterback Kyler Murray’s season ended prematurely after he tore his ACL on Dec. 12. He underwent ACL surgery in early January, but could potentially miss the beginning of the 2023 season as his recovery is expected to take 8 1/2 months.