Arizona Cardinals hire Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as head coach

The Arizona Cardinals announced Tuesday that they hired Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as their head coach. He received a five-year contract.

Gannon stayed in Arizona following the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night to interview for the opening and spent the last two days meeting with Cardinals brass.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni lost both of his top assistants, with offensive coordinator Shane Steichen named the Colts’ head coach earlier Tuesday. Steichen held his introductory news conference in Indianapolis later in the day.

A few weeks ago, it seemed as if Sirianni’s staff would remain intact. Gannon’s lone interview before the Super Bowl was with the Houston Texans, but they hired San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. Steichen was a candidate for the Colts, Carolina Panthers, and Texans openings.

But as the Cardinals and Colts jobs remained unfilled, it became apparent that both teams were waiting until after the Super Bowl for a reason.

The 40-year-old Gannon was in the running for three vacancies — with the Texans, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings — a year ago. But he returned for his second season and helmed a unit that finished sixth in Football Outsiders’ defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) rankings as the Eagles went 14-3 and secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

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The Eagles led the league in sacks (70) and sacks per attempt, and had the No. 1-ranked pass defense, according to various statistical models. They allowed only 14 total points in their first two postseason games.

But Gannon’s defense ran into a Kansas City buzz saw at State Farm Stadium, namely quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and allowed 24 second-half points after the Eagles held a 10-point halftime lead. Future Hall of Fame coach Andy Reid was seemingly a step ahead of his younger counterpart as the Chiefs used a balanced attack to come back.

Gannon, who had never been a coordinator before Sirianni hired him two offseasons ago, utilized a scheme that was predicated on limiting explosive plays. He often used a five-man front on obvious run downs and split-safety zones in coverage.

The Eagles may look internally to replace Gannon and maintain his scheme. Defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator Dennard Wilson would be the likely promotion in that case.

“I think first and foremost he’s a great leader of men,” Eagles cornerback James Bradberry said of Wilson. “He really knows how to control the room, talk to his players, motivate his guys to get ready for a game. And I think he does a good job of coaching, teaching. You’ve got to be a good teacher to be a good coach.”

Promoting from within would trigger a trickle-down effect. There’s also the chance Gannon takes assistants with him to Arizona. Linebackers coach Nick Rallis could be a potential candidate to follow him.

The Eagles’ preference for replacing Gannon would have likely been Vic Fangio, who is often credited with devising the basics of their defense. He was a part-time consultant with the team after he was fired as the Broncos’ head coach last year.

But Fangio has already agreed to a contract with the Miami Dolphins. New England Patriots linebackers coach Jared Mayo was likely another target. He impressed the Eagles’ search committee two years ago when he interviewed for the head coaching job.

Mayo, though, is reportedly in line for a promotion in New England. It’s possible but highly unlikely that either team would allow the coaches out of their contracts.

There are high-profile ex-defensive coordinators, like Lovie Smith, on the market. Of question is whether Sirianni is married to the Fangio scheme, which nearly a dozen teams employed last season. That could create any number of possibilities outside the building.

One name to monitor if Sirianni wants to keep the scheme would be Panthers linebackers coach Peter Hansen. He began his coaching career in Stanford under Fangio and followed him to the 49ers before returning to Stanford as inside linebackers coach for six seasons. He was UNLV’s defensive coordinator from 2020-21, then left for Denver as linebackers coach for a season before taking the Carolina job this offseason.

Seattle Seahawks associate head coach Sean Desai, who employed the Fangio defense with the Chicago Bears, could be another external option. His first coaching job was with Temple under Al Golden from 2006-10.

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With seven defensive starters slated to become free agents, Sirianni could use turnover as an opportunity to change the scheme, especially if he wanted a certain coordinator. One sticking point could be Jordan Davis, the Eagles’ top pick last year, who was drafted primarily to play nose tackle in a five-man front and has yet to show he can thrive at other spots along the defensive line.

Gannon departs Philadelphia as a controversial figure. While he had a favorable reputation in league circles and was deemed by some as a head coach in the making even as a young position coach with the Vikings and Colts, some Eagles fans and several louder voices in the media often criticized his system.

Many of them felt he didn’t blitz enough or play enough man coverage. Gannon actually had rates somewhere in the middle of the NFL in terms of blitzes and zone defense. He did struggle against the best quarterbacks in the league. Most coordinators do, but he often failed to come up with plans or calls that limited the top offenses in those meetings.