There was a time when Michael Bidwill was poised to pull off one of the greatest comebacks ever. He was on the verge of reversing the competitive legacy of the football Cardinals, authoring one of the greatest brand overhauls in sports history.
Alas, Arizona hasn’t won a playoff game in 10 years and that award now belongs to Indiana’s Curt Cignetti.
But Bidwill did an important thing on Monday. He restored hope. He changed course and listened to his fans. He fired Jonathan Gannon after three losing seasons as head coach.
Bidwill didn’t do the easy thing, the frugal thing, or the thing that would command even more loyalty from a failing head coach. He did the right thing. More importantly, he did the ruthless thing.
“We want to win,” he told reporters on Monday.
These are important words at this juncture in team history. The Cardinals were pathetically deficient in 2025, posting the worst loss in franchise history (Titans in Week 5) and finishing nine games out of third place in a four-team division.
Firing Gannon matters because most of the fan base was bracing for the status quo, along with the gaslighting that would’ve accompanied another year of a failed regime. It would’ve been the final straw for many jaded diehards who once expected great things from the younger Bidwill, the ones who’ve been hanging on and tuning in for decades.
Mercifully, Bidwill acknowledged the difference that great coaches can have on a NFL operation during Monday’s press conference. He mentioned other NFL cities (Chicago, Jacksonville, New England) that are playoff bound almost overnight. He seemed as urgent and disturbed as the rest of us. His demeanor will likely halt the migration of season-ticket holders fleeing for the exits.
This is also a temporary victory for general manager Monti Ossenfort, who helped steer Bidwill to the final decision on Gannon. Ossenfort has taken a lot of heat for the lack of sizzle in his draft classes while his selection of Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick is threatening to become a terrible miscalculation. But the inexperience of Gannon’s coaching staff has surely hurt the collective development of Ossenfort’s handpicked roster.
Now, Ossenfort has a chance to select a second head coach. Big names are on the market, the kind that come with good reputations and heavy price tags. Let’s hope the Cardinals spare no expense this time around, and that Bidwill puts his money where his mouth was on Monday afternoon.
Reach Bickley at [email protected]. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.
