NFL: Will Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon Be Fired?

• Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon is under scrutiny after a heated sideline exchange
• Running back Emari Demercado made an inexcusable gaffe, and Gannon is caught on camera appearing to hit him twice
• The Cardinals were stagnating under Gannon before this, but is this the tipping point for him to eventually lose his job?
• Will he be fired? When might it happen? And what are the odds for NFL head coach terminations?

NFL Odds for First Head Coach Fired

The Jonathan Gannon-Emari Demercado Incident in Brief

The Cardinals led the Titans 21-6 when backup running back Emari Demercado took a handoff and ran 72 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, after a video review, Demercado was ruled to have dropped the ball in celebration before he’d crossed the goal line.

Had he scored, the Cardinals would have taken a 27-6 lead with the extra point pending and 12:40 left in the game against a Titans team on the verge of being 0-5, with its fans chanting for head coach Brian Callahan’s dismissal.

Suddenly, Tennessee mounted a spirited comeback and won 22-21.

After Demercado’s fumble, an enraged Gannon lit into his running back and appeared to hit him. The team subsequently fined him $100K.

Anger is Understandable; Gannon’s Reaction Was Over the Top

Coaches are well-advised to never hit players in anger under any circumstances. This is partially for their own safety.

There are, of course, times when a player has precipitated physical contact through their behavior. One example was when then-San Francisco Giants manager Frank Robinson went to the mound to remove pitcher Jim Barr. Barr flipped Robinson the ball and walked off instead of waiting for his manager to reach the mound as was customary, and Robinson responded by grabbing Barr and flinging him back on the mound, yelling and gesturing towards him.

It was a breach of etiquette, disrespected a man who demanded respect, and it was handled with relative propriety, given the time and the circumstances.

Gannon’s act was entirely different.

Some compared it to Travis Kelce and Andy Reid having sideline screaming matches that bordered on insanity. But there’s no comparison.

How Gannon runs his team is up to him. If he’s emotional, the authenticity is preferable since players see through insincerity.

However, this was uncontrolled rage, something the titular leader of the football team cannot succumb to. And it was right after the player made a mistake that he is almost assuredly never going to make again.

For Gannon to apologize to the team the next morning and to be fined such a significant dollar figure signifies how big a mistake it was.

Gannon May Have Sealed His Fate Sooner Than Expected

Generally, halfway functional NFL teams grant their head coaches around three years on the job before thinking about making a change.

In 39 games, Gannon’s record as Cardinals head coach is 14-25. They are barely mediocre and are a non-entity in the tough NFC West. Barring a miraculous turnaround, they will be an also-ran by Week 10. Before the Demercado incident, Gannon was on the clock.

Now?

He’s not going to finish the season.

The question to ask is whether he will get the axe before the leader in the clubhouse, Mike McDaniel, whose status is day-to-day; Brian Daboll, whose Giants are a spiraling disaster; Callahan, whose job Demercado might have saved; and even Aaron Glenn, who, if the Jets are 1-10 after 11 games, could be gone before the season is over.

But if Gannon loses the locker room — if he ever had it in the first place — then he could be the first coach fired.