Cardinals hire Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon as head coach

The Arizona Cardinals hired Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as their head coach on a five-year deal, the team announced Tuesday.

Gannon helped the Eagles - owners of one of the NFL's most stacked rosters - improve defensively this season, going from the 18th-ranked defense in 2021 to the eighth-best unit in the league in points allowed in 2022. However, Philadelphia's defense allowed 31 points in the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, including 17 fourth-quarter points.

The 40-year-old joined Philadelphia's coaching staff in 2021 after serving as an assistant for the Atlanta Falcons (2007), Tennessee Titans (2012-13), Minnesota Vikings (2014-17), and Indianapolis Colts (2018-20).

Gannon's hiring is the first major move made by new Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort, hired in January to succeed Steve Keim.

Arizona fired former head coach Kliff Kingsbury a week before hiring Ossenfort. Kingsbury posted a 4-13 record in 2022 as the team ranked 21st in points scored and 31st in points allowed.

The Cardinals had the final head coaching vacancy in the NFL this year. Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, and former Pittsburgh Steelers assistant Brian Flores were also finalists for the NFC West team. Flores recently joined the Minnesota Vikings as defensive coordinator.

Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen also left Philadelphia earlier Tuesday to become head coach of the Colts. The Eagles are the first Super Bowl team to lose both coordinators to NFL head coaching jobs since the San Francisco 49ers did so in 1994, according to Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network.

Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson are in-house candidates to replace Steichen and Gannon in 2023, respectively.