Would he give Arizona instant gratification?
The Arizona Cardinals have something only 31 other businesses have on the entire planet: a franchise in the National Football League.
And it just so happens that this franchise is looking for a new head coach to lead the charge. They are looking hard, and have a lengthy list. One name has already been crossed off, a guy named John Harbaugh. But only because he took another head coaching gig.
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So, the search continues. The odds-on favorite is Denver Broncos DC Vance Joseph. Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak would be a good hire since the offensive side of the ball needs so much attention.
But just when the coaching searches in the league begin to heat up, another name pops up: former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
With McDermott given a pink slip Monday, that makes three head coaching positions this year that were shockers when they were fired: Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens), Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), and now McDermott. Two of the three took their teams to this year’s playoffs.
And while the Cardinals are looking at which candidates need to come in for a second interview, the question arises: Should the team reach out to McDermott?
McDermott is now the most acknowledged candidate on the market, but much will depend on Arizona’s current course and how much owner Michael Bidwell is willing to spend on not only McDermott but also on his assistant coaching staff.
Yes, and no. Here’s our take on the pros and cons.
PRO
McDermott is known for rebuilding suffering rosters. When he was hired as the new head man with Buffalo in 2017, they were two years deep in the reconstruction that Rex Ryan promised to build. In Ryan’s first season, the team went 8-8-0. The following season, the club limped to a 7-9-0 season. Ryan was fired with one game remaining.
Ryan was supposed to be this defensive wiz with rosters. In 2015, Buffalo was ranked #15 in defense and dropped to #17. McDermott was the DC of the Carolina Panthers and built their defense up from scratch to #6 overall.
When he first took on the defense with the Panthers, they were ranked #26. In his final season, his side of the ball featured four Pro Bowlers: LB Luke Kuechly, CB Josh Norman, DT Kawann Short, and LB Thomas Davis. Kuechly is now a Hall of Fame candidate.
CON
McDermott is now 51-years old. He was an NFL head coach for nine years. Does he really want to start over with a close defense, but an offense that lives in the bottom third of the league?
The Cardinals ranked #19 in total offense, which breaks down to #7 in passing and #31 in rushing. Yes, their top two starting RBs were injured, and their offensive line had major problems that were never solved.
But look at what McDermott built in Buffalo: #1 in rushing, #15 in passing, and #4 offense overall.
He would go from QB Josh Allen to career backup Jacoby Brissett. Or diminished star Kyler Murray.
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McDermott had two Pro Bowlers and six Pro Bowl alternates named this year alone. The offensive line is one of the league’s best, including OT Dion Dawkins, who is going to this fifth consecutive Pro Bowl. This group this year ranked #6.
PRO
The defense has a lot of good pieces already in place. If the franchise can re-sign DT Calais Campbell and DT Walter Nolen can return healthy, then the middle with stopping the run is solved. EDGE rusher Josh Sweat proved his worth. And the Cardinals have the #3 pick in the NFL draft and should select either LB Arvell Reese from Ohio State or Miami’s Rueben Bain, Jr. This would become one of the league’s defensive fronts.
On the back end are CB Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, and Max Melton. S Budda Baker made the Pro Bowl this year with the steady Jalen Thompson at his side. LB Akeem Davis-Gaither came in and did a fine job with 117 tackles, which ranked #33 in the NFL. The linebacker room in general holds its own with Baron Browning, Cody Simon, and Zaven Collins.
If, through free agency and the draft, the Cardinals can bring in another stud pass-rushing defensive end, a tackling machine at linebacker, and a good cornerback for depth, this group can really do some damage and is just a few pieces away.
CON
Whispers are going around that Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill is only interested in coaches who will take less money to become the franchise’s head coach. And we are talking $3 million less a year.
Every single coach in the NFL has one goal: one day run his own team. And if the carrot is dangled, most will keep grabbing at it. What did Jonathan Gannon make? As the DC for the Philadelphia Eagles, he reportedly made between $1 million to $3 million a season. After being named the head coach of the Cardinals, that blossomed to nearly $5 million a year.
This begs the question — how much will Bidwill be willing to spend on a new head coach? Will he be willing to pay top dollar for the best candidate available?
He was asked that very question at a press conference after Gannon was fired. Bidwill stated:
“I’m not going to negotiate the contract here with you, but we’re looking forward to going out there and putting a winning coach in this position and having wins, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
None of that sounds like the team is looking to bring in a highly successful and decorated man to become the next head coach and finally develop teams that annually end up in the postseason. Like McDermott has done.
What does it take to get a team to the playoffs every year like Buffalo was doing? McDermott was making $8 million a year. Harbaugh just inked a deal where he will be making $20 million a season. Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs makes the same amount.
McDermott could be signed on a five-year deal for, say, $12 to $15 million a year. He would make the defense an elite group, solve the QB problem, bring in a stud at OC just like he has had in Buffalo all these years, and bring the Cardinals into the upper echelon of the NFL despite being in the best division in the league.
PRO
The Cardinals play in the best division in the league, the NFC West Division. So, why is this a plus? McDermott would consider that a challenge.
He coached in the same division as the New England Patriots for all those many years. The Miami Dolphins had a few great seasons sprinkled in here and there, but the Pats were Kings of the NFL forever, it seems.
In 2020, it was the Bills who busted that log jam of consecutive AFC East Division crowns and took it away from the Patriots. Then, Buffalo won it again in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Seahawks, 49ers, and Rams? McDermott would have each of these clubs on the handle of his blade, looking to carve new notches.
CON
One thing McDermott has not had to be concerned with for a long time is the quarterback situation. With Arizona, this remains unsolved and is still being discussed. The team should have already resolved what to do with this room, and instead has taken a “fix it tomorrow” stance.
The team needs to find a resolution instead of waiting for the new head coach to deal with it. Trade Murray or keep him, but at least make a decision. Brissett is already under contract and will be back for one more season if he doesn’t get an extension.
And it would seem prudent that the franchise goes ahead and drafts a young buck in this year’s NFL draft. No matter where he is selected, he could wait a full year and get great tutelage from Brissett and maybe Murray, then be ready to take over, perhaps in 2027.
Besides, a starting quarterback’s input regarding the head coaching search should be a natural topic within the organization, geared towards building a strong relationship. Don’t the Cardinals want their head coach and starting QB to get along?
With the interviews that will be going on in Buffalo to find their new head coach, the front office can point to the fact that they have Josh Allen in-house. What is the Arizona management telling McDermott? We have this guy and that guy, and might be getting this other guy?
Category: General Sports
