Arizona Cardinals: Looking at replacements for Bruce Arians
Bruce Arians has decided to retire from football, leaving the Arizona Cardinals head coach position open. We take a look at possible candidates to replace him.
The past 24 have been rough for many NFL head coaches. Several have been fired, and they now begin 2018 looking for work. In the case of Bruce Arians and the Arizona Cardinals, retirement is the reason for departure. Monday, Arians made the decision to retire from football in a press conference that was emotional for the latter.
"“The tears you see are really tears of joy, peace,” Arians said. “I’ll miss the players. I’ll miss coming out of the locker room, hearing the national anthem because it still gets me …“I probably truly didn’t know until that kick [Sunday] went through that I was going to retire. I know everybody speculated for months … you now have the story. Like I said, it’s been an unbelievable journey.”"
Arians compiled a 49-30-1 mark in five years at the helm of the Cardinals. He led them to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2014 and 2015. They lost to the Carolina Panthers in both instances, as the Panthers bested the Cardinals in the 2015 NFC Wildcard Game and 2016 NFC Championship Game.
What is next for the Arizona Cardinals? Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is on the team’s radar per Marc Sessler of NFL.com. Other names that have been linked to potentially filling the vacancy include Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores.
Flores is an intriguing name on this list because he’s a name that has not appeared in many searches so far this offseason. With that in mind, he was a name that was talked about last year around this time for vacant positions.
The availability of Flores would depend on the availability of Patricia. Numerous teams have asked to speak with Patricia and he appears to be on the radar for many teams. Flores is thought of as a potential defensive coordinator candidate for the Patriots should Patricia leave.
Next: 2018 NFL Playoffs: Picks, predictions for Wild Card Round
The Cardinals are one of the more interesting teams in the league in terms of what they bring to the table. They have a good mix of veterans and younger players, creating a balance of sorts. Players like John Brown and Tyrann Mathieu are just hitting their primes while others like Larry Fitzgerald and Carson Palmer are on the backend of their careers.
The next Cardinals head coach will inherit a talented roster that is certainly ready to win now. Now, the waiting game begins.