Cardinals hire Eagles’ Gannon; Anarumo returns to Bengals
The Arizona Cardinals hired Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on Tuesday to be their head coach.
Gannon, a Cleveland native, replaces Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired last month after going 4-13 in his fourth season. Gannon becomes Arizona’s fourth coach in seven years and the second Eagles coordinator to become a head coach after Shane Steichen was hired by Indianapolis on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old Gannon has been Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons, helping rebuild a defense that helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl last Sunday. The Eagles lost to Kansas City 38-35 at State Farm Stadium, home of the Cardinals.
Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was a finalist for the Cardinals job. The entire Bengals coaching staff will return in 2023.
The Eagles had the NFL’s No. 2 defense this season and the third-most sacks in NFL history with 78 under Gannon — 15 more than any other team.
Gannon’s hiring is the first major move by general manager Monti Ossenfort, who was hired last month after Steve Keim and the team parted ways.
Gannon inherits a defense spearheaded by Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker and young linebackers Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins. Arizona also is potentially looking at a roster overhaul with roughly 30 unrestricted free agents and the retirement of three-time NFL defensive player of the year J.J. Watt.
Before being hired by the Eagles, Gannon served as the defensive backs coach for the Colts from 2018-20. He also worked as an assistant defensive backs/quality control coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 2014-17 and held the same position with the Tennessee Titans from 2012-13.
Gannon began his coaching career as a defensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 and worked as a scout for the Rams from 2009-10. He played defensive back at Louisville in 2002 before sustaining a career-ending hip injury and served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater.
Each of Indy’s last two full-time hires were offensive coordinators for Philadelphia Eagles teams that made the Super Bowl. Frank Reich was hired in 2018 after the Eagles won their first championship since 1960 but was fired in October as the Colts’ season started to unravel.
He was replaced by interim coach Jeff Saturday, who won his first game but lost the final seven to give Indy the No. 4 overall draft pick. Saturday was one of the finalists for the full-time gig.
Now, though, the Colts seem to be changing directions again, this time likely with a young, promising quarterback. That’s a major reason team owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard, who led the lengthy search, sought out the 37-year-old Steichen.
Under Steichen’s tenure in Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts went from second-round draft pick in 2020 to solid starter in 2021 to NFL MVP runner-up in 2022.
But Hurts isn’t Steichen’s only prized pupil.
In 2020, as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers, Steichen presided over Justin Herbert’s NFL offensive rookie of the year campaign. Before that, he worked with former Chargers star Philip Rivers, who joined Reich and current Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni in Indianapolis for his final NFL season.