January 6, 2026
The Arizona Cardinals have requested to interview New England Patriots passing-game coordinator Thomas Brown for their head-coaching job, a source told Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. Brown has been a big part of New England's turnaround in 2025, and he has play-calling and head-coaching experience while learning from two of the best in Sean McVay and Mike Vrabel. The Cardinals so far have mostly been targeting defensive-minded head-coaching candidates as they look for a replacement for Jonathan Gannon. The 39-year-old first started as a running backs coach for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, and he stayed with the team for three seasons. Brown also worked as the Panthers' offensive coordinator in 2023 before being the Bears' pass-game coordinator, offensive coordinator, and interim head coach in 2024.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Cameron Wolfe
January 6, 2026
The Arizona Cardinals have requested to interview San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for their head-coaching job, a source told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. The Cardinals have also requested an interview for the same position with Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and they plan to interview Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph this week. Saleh was the head coach for the New York Jets for three seasons, but he was fired after going 20-36 in his time at the helm. Saleh returned to San Francisco to coach the defense this year. Given all of the injuries for the 49ers on that side of the ball, Saleh did a pretty remarkable job in 2025 with the team in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC going into the Week 18 regular-season finale. It appears that Arizona might be leaning towards a defensive-minded head coach to replace Jonathan Gannon.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Illustrated - Albert Breer
January 6, 2026
Arizona Cardinals rookie cornerback Will Johnson's (knee) MRI results came back clean on Monday, a source told Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic. Johnson is good to go after his injury scare in the Week 18 regular-season finale versus the Los Angeles Rams, and he'll have a full offseason of training. The 22-year-old second-rounder out of Michigan ended up playing in 12 games (10 starts) in his first year in the NFL, recording 37 tackles (27 solo), two tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups, and a forced fumble for the Cardinals. Johnson got plenty of playing time in 2025 due to injuries to Sean Murphy-Bunting (knee) and Starling Thomas (knee). Assuming he's fully healthy going into 2026, Johnson should be in line for a starting role in Arizona's secondary.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Arizona Republic - Theo Mackie
January 5, 2026
Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson (knee) said he will be fine "in a couple weeks," and his knee injury won't impact his offseason training, according to Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic. Johnson suffered an MCL injury in the team's Week 14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and was put on Injured Reserve in late December. The 24-year-old third-year tackle finished the year on IR but was active for the first 12 games of the season before his injury. The former sixth overall pick in 2023 out of Ohio State should be a full-go for the start of the 2026 season as a starter on the Cardinals' offensive line.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Arizona Republic - Theo Mackie
January 5, 2026
Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Kyler Murray has multiple years remaining on the contract extension he signed in 2022, as pointed out by general manager Monti Ossenfort when asked about the future of his one-time franchise player. The Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon on Monday, and when asked how Murray might fit in with a new coach, Ossenfort said, "All options are on the table," and that those discussions would come at a later time. Both
Jacoby Brissett and
Kedon Slovis are also under contract heading into 2026, and the Cardinals have the third overall pick in April's Rookie Draft, so the team is not without options at the position. Figuring out the most important spot on the roster will be priority number one for whoever is hired as the next head coach, following another disappointing season in which Murray started only five games.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Dani Sureck
January 5, 2026
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. said that he lost the majority of the weight he had put on this past offseason (10 pounds) while dealing with appendicitis late in the season, according to Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports. Harrison said he basically had two weeks of doing nothing before "jumping back into the fire." The 23-year-old former first-rounder missed Weeks 11 and 12 following an appendectomy. Harrison returned in Week 13 to catch six of seven targets for 69 yards, but he suffered a heel injury that sidelined him in Weeks 14 and 15. He wasn't the same receiver to close out the year, catching just one of four targets for 14 yards in his final two games before suffering a new foot injury in Week 17 that cost him the regular-season finale. Harrison will now focus on getting healthy in the offseason before trying to bounce back in 2026 in his third year in the league. His fantasy arrow is pointing down after two straight disappointing seasons, especially now that Arizona could be searching for a new quarterback this offseason.
--Keith HernandezSource: Arizona Sports - Tyler Drake
January 5, 2026
The Arizona Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon on Monday, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Cardinals had an extremely disappointing 2025 campaign that closed out with nine straight losses, which ultimately cost Gannon his job. General manager Monti Ossenfort will lead the search for a new head coach in the desert. Gannon was in his third year with Arizona. He'll finish up his time with the Cardinals with a 15-36 record in three seasons as the head coach. Gannon never reached the playoffs while never finishing higher than third in the NFC West. Arizona went 4-13 in 2023 and 8-9 last year before finishing 3-14 in 2025. He went 3-15 combined against the NFC West. The Cardinals were decimated by injuries this year, with 42 different players missing a combined 309 games due to injury. The offense struggled all season, and quarterback
Kyler Murray (foot) didn't play after getting injured in Week 5.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
January 4, 2026
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Michael Wilson caught five of his eight targets for 99 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 loss against the Los Angeles Rams. The highlight of his performance was a 43-yard touchdown in the third quarter that temporarily pulled Arizona within one possession. The Cardinals limped to a 3-14 record this season, but Wilson ended up being a league-winner in many fantasy leagues thanks to his incredibly strong second half of the campaign. The 25-year-old eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, and he ranked as the overall WR2 from Week 11 through the end of the season. On paper,
Marvin Harrison Jr. might enter the 2026 season as Arizona's No. 1 receiver. However, based on track record, Wilson has made quite the case to be the Cardinals' top pass-catcher not named
Trey McBride. Quarterback uncertainty creates some questions about Wilson's fantasy stock for next year, but there's no denying that he has top-12 upside heading into next summer's drafts.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
January 3, 2026
Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Jacoby Brissett has surprised many with his solid play under center this season. The 33-year-old has thrown for 3,123 passing yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions through 13 games this season. He'll look to continue his success during the regular-season finale versus the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. During their last meeting, Brissett threw for 271 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in Week 14. Brissett has thrown for multiple touchdowns in four of his last five games. The Cardinals aren't having much success in the win category with him under center, but Brissett is putting up strong numbers. Fantasy managers should continue to trust Brissett as a high-end QB2.
--Andy WebbSource: Pro Football Reference
January 3, 2026
Arizona Cardinals running back
Michael Carter has operated as the starter for the last two weeks, but has delivered disappointing results, scoring just 6.5 and 6.3 PPR points. With
Bam Knight (ankle) going down for the season in Week 15, Carter was expected to handle the lion's share of the work in Arizona's backfield. However, he's played just 49.1% of the snaps and handled 20 touches, with
Emari Demercado mixing in with a 40.9% snap share and 12 touches. Arizona's offense hasn't been as exciting in recent weeks with
Jacoby Brissett under center, and now they head on the road to face a Rams team that they scored just 17 points against back in Week 14. Carter projects as a decent RB3 option for the regular season finale.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
January 3, 2026
Despite losing 13 of their last 14 games, the general sense is that Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon will return in 2026, according to NFL Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Gannon spoke this past week and said that he felt "good" about his job status. The 42-year-old head coach will likely receive another year and the opportunity to select a new quarterback to lead the team, with the general expectation being that Arizona will move on from
Kyler Murray in the offseason. Gannon hasn't achieved a winning record in his three seasons as head coach in Arizona, owning a 15-35 record. He was hired after the Eagles' 2023 Super Bowl run, where he spent two seasons as their defensive coordinator. However, Gannon's defenses in Arizona have been at the bottom of the league since being hired, ranking 32nd in success rate over the past three seasons combined. If Gannon stays, there may be changes coming to the staff after another disappointing year.
--Kyle McCarthySource: NFL.com
January 3, 2026
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Michael Wilson should reassume his WR1 production against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18, with fellow wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel) placed on IR after Week 17. In the four games without Harrison Jr. in the latter half of the 2025 season, Wilson hauled in 41 of his 60 targets for 499 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 27.2 fantasy points per game. When the Cardinals faced the Rams in Week 14, Wilson had his best fantasy game of the season, racking up 37 PPR points from his 11 receptions off 16 targets for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Since that Week 14 tilt, the Rams' pass defense is a top-five matchup for opposing wide receivers. Wilson is a top-10 wide receiver with high upside for fantasy managers playing in Week 18, especially in PPR formats, or those looking for a reliable DFS option to close out the regular season.
--Matt McCauleySource: ESPN
January 2, 2026
Arizona Cardinals running back
Michael Carter disappointed fantasy managers in Week 17 with only seven carries for 29 yards (4.1 YPC) in Sunday's 37-14 blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Carter also added two catches for 14 yards on four targets. In a smash match-up, Carter and the Cardinals' offense came out flat. The Cardinals couldn't get anything going on the ground, as
Emari Demercado also only had five rushes for 11 yards (2.2 YPC). Since seeing 80 percent of the snaps in Week 15 against Houston, Carter has only played 48 percent of the snaps over the past two games, which is not what Carter's fantasy managers were hoping for when they picked him up off the waivers after
Bam Knight (ankle) got hurt. At this point, the Cardinals' running game is too hard to trust; they find themselves in pass-happy game scripts, and Carter is splitting work with Demercado. With a much tougher matchup in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams, Carter will be no better than a touchdown-dependent RB3.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 31, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. (foot) has been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale this Sunday against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon. Harrison suffered a new foot injury in the Week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and failed to catch his only target before leaving. It's a fitting way for the 23-year-old's disappointing second season in the NFL to end in 2025. Through his first two seasons in the league, Harrison has not lived up to his lofty billing as the fourth overall pick out of Ohio State. In 12 games this season, he caught 41 of his 73 targets for 608 yards and four touchdowns after posting a 62-885-8 line in 17 games in his rookie campaign. Harrison's long-term outlook is cloudy, too, with the Cardinals potentially moving on from quarterback
Kyler Murray this offseason. With Harrison missing another game this weekend,
Michael Wilson and tight end
Trey McBride should continue to be target hogs in Arizona's offense.
--Keith HernandezSource: Arizona Sports - Tyler Drake
December 30, 2025
ESPN's Josh Weinfuss writes that there's an outside chance that if both head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort are fired, the new regime will decide to run it back with Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Kyler Murray (foot). If the Cardinals decide to move on from Murray, who didn't play at all in 2025 after spraining his foot back in Week 5, they will likely bring veteran
Jacoby Brissett back on the second year of his two-year deal while drafting a signal-caller. The Cardinals should be able to pick one of three young QBs in next year's draft among Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Oregon's Dante Moore, or Alabama's Ty Simpson. The Cardinals have taken a liking to the 6-foot-2 Simpson, who is known as a pocket passer. But if Arizona decides to trade down in the first round or wait until the second round to take a QB, they could look at Miami's
Carson Beck or LSU's Garrett Nussmeier.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Josh Weinfuss
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