Sean Payton, Vance Joseph favored to be next Cardinals coach
Jan 11, 2023, 11:38 AM | Updated: Jan 13, 2023, 2:05 pm
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton looks up as he walks off the field after overtime of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in New Orleans. The Vikings won 26-20. (AP Photo/Brett Duke)
(AP Photo/Brett Duke)
The Arizona Cardinals are looking to reset this offseason with vacancies in the head coach and general manager positions after a 4-13 season.
Many different sportsbooks around the country have former Saints coach Sean Payton and Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as two of the leading candidates for the head coach position.
This will be the first time in four seasons Arizona has been on the hunt for a new head coach after Kliff Kingsbury took over for Steve Wilks after the 2018 season.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook on Wednesday, the list of names that could take over the Cardinals has some established coaches as well as some fan-favorite longshots.
RELATED STORIES
— Sean Payton +300
— Vance Joseph (Cardinals DC) +300
— DeMeco Ryans (49ers OC) +1400
— Byron Leftwich (Bucs OC) +1400
— Ben Johnson (Lions OC) +1400
— Shane Steichen (Eagles OC) +1500
— Jim Harbaugh (Michigan HC) +1500
— Dan Quinn (Cowboys DC) +1600
— Eric Bienemy (Chiefs OC) +1800
— Larry Fitzgerald +15000
— Matt Leinart + 15000
— Carson Palmer +15000
— J.J. Watt +15000
— Herm Edwards +15000
— Adrian Wilson +15000
The odds have drastically changed from around noon on Tuesday when the initial list was released. Payton opened up at +200, Steichen at +750 and Joseph at +800.
Payton could come with not only a hefty price tag, but the Cardinals would owe draft compensation to the New Orleans Saints after he retired from the organization at the end of the 2021 season.
Leftwich, Ryans, Johnson, Payton and Joseph paint the picture for Arizona fans that the net will be cast wide with both offensive- and defensive-minded coaches being involved in the interview process.
Arizona has invested much of its high-end draft capital in recent years on the defensive side of the ball in Isaiah Simmons, Zaven Collins, Byron Murphy Jr. and Budda Baker.
In a press conference on Monday, owner Michael Bidwill said he was not looking for either an offensive or defensive coach, but the right guy.
With quarterback Kyler Murray under contract long term, Bidwill will have to make a pivotal decision before Arizona drafts No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft.
