Following another disappointing season, the Arizona Cardinals have finally decided to cut ties with head coach Jonathan Gannon.
The former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator leaves the desert with an unflattering 15-36 record. His team closed out the season on a nine-game losing streak to fall to 3-14.
However, in a somewhat surprising turn of events, the Cardinals will stick with General Manager Monti Ossenfort.
The Arizona Cardinals Still Trust GM Monti Ossenfort
When asked about the decision to keep Ossenfort around, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill talked about his confidence in his decision-making:
“I know we can turn it around,” Bidwill said, per Bo Brack of PHNX Sports. “I have worked with Monti for 3 years, and I’m very comfortable and confident in his ability to be our general manager.”
Ossenfort got the job just a month before the Cardinals hired Gannon. However, it seems like the team believes the negative results were more due to poor coaching and execution. They might also realize that the team needs more time to build a championship-caliber roster.
Ossenfort is Undecided About Kyler Murray
The Cardinals have some big questions to answer in the offseason. Of course, the biggest issue will be figuring out what to do with Kyler Murray.
They shut him down with multiple injuries and rolled with Jacoby Brissett for most of the campaign. Nevertheless, despite all speculation, Ossenfort hasn’t shut the door on him.
Per Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk, all options are still on the table for the former No. 1 pick and the Cardinals:
“Quarterback Kyler Murray missed the final 12 games of the season with a foot injury and there was plenty of speculation during the season that he’s played his final game as a Cardinal,” Alper wrote.
“During Monday’s press conference, Ossenfort noted that Murray remains under contract and said that all options are on the table for what the team will do at the position in the future.”
Murray ranked 21st among eligible quarterbacks with a PFSN QB impact metric of 75.3 in just five starts this season.
However, his steep salary ($39 million for next season), history of injuries, and multiple reports of a questionable demeanor and work ethic make him hard to trust as the future of the franchise. Likewise, that might make trading him a little tricky.
The Cardinals have plenty of issues to fix, and whoever they hire to be their next head coach will also most likely have a say on whether Murray stays or not.
