Who is Jonathan Gannon? What to know about new Arizona Cardinals coach
The Arizona Cardinals hired Jonathan Gannon as their new head coach on Tuesday after a lengthy coaching search.
Who is Jonathan Gannon?
Here are five things to know about the new Cardinals coach.
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Jonathan Gannon, 40, made an impact with Philadelphia Eagles
Gannon spent the past two seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator. Under Gannon’s direction, Philadelphia’s defense ranked first in the NFL against the pass (179.8 yards per game) and second in total defense (301.5). The Eagles also led the league in sacks during the regular season with 70. He helped the team reach the Super Bowl this season, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-35. The Eagles ranked first against the pass and had the league’s second-ranked defense overall under Gannon.
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Jonathan Gannon has extensive NFL experience
Gannon previously coached with the Falcons (2007), Titans (2012-13), Vikings (2014-17) and Colts (2018-20). He also spent three years as a scout with the Rams (2009-11). He started out with the Falcons as a defensive quality control coach, which he also did with the Titans. With the Vikings, he was their assistant defensive backs and defensive quality control coach. With the Colts he served as DBs coach.
Jonathan Gannon has been considered for NFL head coaching jobs before
Gannon was a finalist for the Texans’ head coaching job before Houston hired Lovie Smith in 2022 and DeMeco Ryans this year, with Houston showing great interest in the defensive coordinator.
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Jonathan Gannon got an early start in coaching football
Gannon suffered a career-ending hip injury while playing defensive back at Louisville and got into coaching as a volunteer assistant for the Cardinals from 2003-05. He was a graduate assistant for the school in 2006 and then followed coach Bobby Petrino from Louisville to the Falcons for his start in the NFL.
Jonathan Gannon impressed in Cardinals interviews
Gannon couldn't interview with the Cardinals until Monday because of his commitment to the Eagles and their playoff run, but he made the most of his interview, prompting the team to visit with him more on Tuesday and reach an agreement for him to become head coach. He came into the Cardinals' head coaching search late and wasn't even considered a serious candidate until word leaked before the Super Bowl about Arizona setting up an interview with him for after the big game. That interview obviously went well because he's the new coach of the NFL franchise in Arizona.
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The Republic's Bob McManaman contributed to this story.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon: 5 things to know
