Cardinals seem to have already made a decision on Kliff Kingsbury’s future

The Arizona Cardinals are doing their homework before potentially moving on from head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

While Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill is keeping this very close to the vest, it seems to be a very strong possibility that he may move on from head coach Kliff Kingsbury after the season.

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network reported on Sunday morning that “the Arizona Cardinals have been preparing in recent weeks for a potential coaching search as they weigh Kliff Kingsbury’s future, but it remains unclear if those preparations will lead to change.”

Although Arizona has massively underperformed this season, Bidwill has not had his sounding board available in general manager Steve Keim. He took an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons. Keim is not excepted to be coming back into the fold in 2023, despite signing an extension this past offseason, alongside Kingsbury and their starting quarterback, Kyler Murray.

Rapoport and Pelissero hinted that former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph could be candidates to replace Kingsbury if he is indeed let go after the end of the regular season.

Arizona Cardinals could be moving on from their head coach in Kliff Kingsbury

Look. Arizona is one of two or three other NFL teams that might have its head-coaching position become available on Black Monday. In addition to the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts, Arizona is in a group of teams with the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Rams that could realistically to semi-realistically be joining that trio of underperforming teams.

By doing their reconnaissance on the potential coaching candidate pool, Bidwill should be able to make an informed decision about what to do with Kingsbury. One would expect that Bidwill will tab either Quentin Harris or Adrian Wilson in-house to replace Keim. Arizona has made it a point to promote from within for its general manager position ever since parting ways with Buddy Ryan.

To be frank, it is hard to see Arizona making a big change at head coach before it has a better feel of what it is going to do at general manger. Once they have a greater sense of the succession plan in that department, Bidwill will make a well-thought-out decision at head coach. As for moving on from Kingsbury, the Cardinals might be one of the better jobs that could be opening up this cycle.

Arizona was a playoff team only a year ago. The Cardinals were the last team to lose a game in 2021. They have a talented, but mercurial franchise quarterback in Murray. More importantly, they play in a division that seems to be in a state of flux. Along with a top-five pick in 2023, one would think the Cardinals could get this turned around in a hurry if they were to move on from Kingsbury.

Ultimately, the fact that Bidwill has done his homework, in addition to meeting with Kingsbury daily, probably indicates that it is more likely than not he will be making a change at head coach. The talent has not been the issue for Arizona, but rather a lack of execution down the stretch. For whatever reason, Kingsbury’s teams fade as the season goes on, whether that is college or pro.

Bidwill may not make a decision until after Sunday, but he may have tipped where he is leaning.