Cardinals Next Head Coach Odds – Are Johnson, Payton or Harbaugh Good Bets?

• Detroit Lions’ OC Ben Johnson among the favorites to land Arizona Cardinals’ head coaching job
• Longtime Saints head coach Sean Payton is a favorite for any team needing to hire a head coach
• See below for our our analysis and best bet for Arizona’s head coach below

Move over Nathaniel Hackett and Lovie Smith, and make room for Kliff Kingsbury.

On Monday, the Cardinals canned their head coach after four seasons of service. It puts an end to a rough season for the Cardinals, who finished the year on a 7-game losing streak and a 4-13 record.

Just 10 months ago, Kingsbury signed an extension that would have taken him through the 2027 season.

Under his guidance, Arizona improved in each of his first three years, going 5-10-1 in 2019. 8-8 in 2020 and 11-6 last year, with a playoff berth. Then the bottom fell out this season.

The search is now on to find a new head coach.

Arizona Cardinals Next Head Coach Odds

*SBD Odds. These odds are for entertainment purposes only

Offensive Minds Litter Odds Board

Whoever does take the reins, it’s likely they’re going to have to inherit current quarterback Kyler Murray, who is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in Week 14.

Murray just inked a massive 5-year, $230.5 million deal prior to the start of this season, which might be the worst contract in the NFL not signed by Russell Wilson.

Sean Payton is always a good place to start, because the longtime Saints coach with a Super Bowl under his belt and an offense that helped send Drew Brees into the Hall of Fame will have his pick of team should he decide to come out of retirement.

#AZCardinals owner Michael Bidwill was asked about coach Sean Payton and the smile he got on his face is undeniable. Get Payton to the Cardinals ASAP #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/9dX7KDMCrI

— Cardinals Update (@updatecardinals) January 9, 2023

The cupboard is not empty here, with Deandre Hopkins, Zach Ertz, Murray and the fourth pick in the upcoming NFL Draft among the high notes. This is an offense that only produced 20 points a game, and were 22nd in rushing (110.2 yards) and 18th in passing (213.3).

If you’re going offense however, you may want to check Ben Johnson in Detroit, who just rejuvenated Jared Goff into an able starting pivot in the NFL. Goff threw for 30 TD’s for just the second time in his career, and is a big part of the Lions’ resurgence.

Another consideration is Shane Steichen, the talented Eagles’ OC who has brought out the best in Jalen Hurts, helping the Philly pivot into a candidate in the 2023 NFL MVP odds.

Cardinals Faded Under Kingsbury

The biggest knock on Kingsbury’s coaching career is that his teams faded miserably down the stretch, in college and the pros.

Looking at the numbers from Texas Tech through to the end of the 2021 season, his teams were 42-20-1 through the first seven games, and 17-44 the rest of the way. While this year’s edition of the Cardinals didn’t get off to a hot start, they certainly ended in similar disappointment, staggering to a 1-9 finish.

My wish list for the next Head Coach and GM of the Arizona Cardinals:

Head Coach: DeMeco Ryans
GM: Louis Riddick

— Alex Clancy (@ClancysCorner) January 9, 2023

Maybe a change in culture is necessary, and there are two candidates that stand out. The first is Jim Harbaugh, who’s coming off a season leading the Michigan Wolverines to the College Football Playoff.

Harbaugh has levelled up his teams wherever he’s gone, and he’s been to the Super Bowl as the bench boss of the 49ers.

Speaking of San Francisco, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has to be considered.

Much of the talk surrounding the ex-linebacker is his energy and ability to be a leader. His schemes could probably help a defense that was second-last in scoring defense as well, giving up 26.4 points per game.

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What’s the Best Bet for New Cardinals’ Coach?

If the Cardinals are serious about contending the NFC West, they’ll want to lock down one of the heavy hitters in Payton or Harbaugh — should either choose to come back to the NFL.

Any team Payton goes to will need to send a compensation package out to the New Orleans Saints, who still own his rights. Arizona has the assets, if necessary, but they could use them in a lot of places, including on an offensive line that surrendered 46 sacks, a bottom-10 figure.

I don’t think the Cards are ready for prime time yet, and they need a coach that can hopefully turn Murray into the best dual-threat QB in the league. Steichen maxed out Hurts’ abilities — a player that, before this season, was a question mark at QB.

He can do wonders for Murray. Turning Kyler into a legit franchise pivot can cover up a lot of other concerns, and make the Cardinals consistently relevant.

Pick: Steichen (+880)