The Arizona Cardinals are only one of two teams with a head coach vacancy after the team fired Kliff Kingsbury following a disastrous 2022 season.
Arizona was linked to Sean Payton before he ultimately landed with the Denver Broncos. It also had Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on the short list. That was before Quinn notified interested teams that he was returning to Big D.
As this process hits its stretch run, Arizona is reportedly now down to three candidates. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cardinals have notified multiple candidates that they are no longer in the running for the opening.
That includes Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and current Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Per Fowler, this leaves three remaining candidates:
- Brian Flores, Pittsburgh Steelers assistant
- Mike Kafka, New York Giants offensive coordinator
- Lou Anarumo, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator
Based on the names here, new Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort seems to be focusing on the defensive side of the ball after Kingsbury’s disastrous tenure.
It also must be noted that a recent report suggests potential Arizona Cardinals head coach candidates are weary of being tied to injured and embattled franchise quarterback Kyler Murray.
“Many of the desired candidates [for the Cardinals position] don’t want to take the job knowing they’ll be tied to the hip of Murray for the next four seasons. Murray signed a five-year, $230 million contract in late August, and anyone who takes the Cardinals job will have no options in the foreseeable future at quarterback.”
Report on Arizona Cardinals head coach search
A defensive-minded head coach might not have the same reservations in that he would be relying on an offensive coordinator to work with Murray.
In particular, Anarumo comes to mind as a potential top candidate in the desert. Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator since back in 2019, the respected assistant led a top-six scoring defense this past season. His previous NFL experience includes coaching defensive backs with the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants before heading to Cincinnati.
As for Brian Flores, he’s an interesting case study in that the former Miami Dolphins head coach is also a candidate for multiple defensive coordinator gigs, including the Minnesota Vikings’ opening. Fired by the Dolphins after the 2021 season, Flores worked this past year as a top assistant for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh.
He’s currently engaged in a class-action suit against the NFL and its teams, claiming racial discrimination in the hiring process of coaches and front office personnel around the league.
The lone offensive-minded candidate for the Arizona Cardinals’ vacancy, Kafka spent this past season as the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator under Brian Daboll. He helped get the most out of former first-round pick, quarterback Daniel Jones.
Prior to joining Daboll in Jersey, Kafka was the quarterbacks coach with Patrick Mahomes and the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs. It’s easy to see a fit there, too.