Arizona

Cardinals

Hafley has received head-coaching buzz since August. The list of suitors is unsurprising. SNY’s Connor Hughes also previously reported that the Giants could be interested in interviewing Hafley as well. The Packers’ defense allowed the NFL’s ninth-fewest yards per play (5.0) despite suffering consequential injuries in the pass-rush unit this season.

Among the nine, only six teams actually have head-coaching vacancies at this time. The six teams in reference are the Giants, Titans, Falcons, Raiders, Browns and Cardinals. Regarding the remaining three, according to Vacchiano, “speculation around the league seems to have centered” on the Dolphins, Packers and Panthers. Last we heard, “signs continue to point towards Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel returning next season.” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is preparing his team for their third straight trip to the postseason, but “there has been an eerie feeling around the league that he might need to win a first-round game to be completely safe.” The Panthers are widely viewed as this year’s weakest playoff team, and owner David Tepper “is always a threat to swing again.” The Buccaneers were also thought to be in the mix before it was made known that head coach Todd Bowles is keeping his job for 2026.

Morris, fired by the Falcons after going 20-25 over three seasons, will join a bevy of former head coaches and coordinators in interviewing with the Cardinals, Titans, and Giants, who are reportedly “all in” on hiring former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Morris, 49, struggled with in-game decision making and was among the league’s most conservative fourth down decision makers during his three years in Atlanta. His defensive background would be appealing to any of these three teams after their defenses collapsed in 2025.

Nagy for some reason could have his choice of head coaching spots in the coming weeks. The Chiefs offense under his control became strikingly ordinary and uncreative. The former Bears head coach has deep connections around the league, however. Sometimes that’s all that matters in a head coaching search. Nagy would be tasked with a total rebuild of the Cardinals, Titans, or Raiders. Only the Titans have a potential franchise QB in 2025’s first overall draft pick Cam Ward.

These are in addition to a Falcons interview we heard about yesterday, making Kubiak one of the hottest head-coaching candidates of the offseason. Seattle’s 10th-ranked DVOA offense with Sam Darnold, as well as Kubiak’s ability to scheme so much of his offense around star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, have apparently drawn plenty of attention. Kubiak, on bye, is also available to interview right away, which doesn’t hurt.

It is Weaver’s second request of the cycle after he drew one from the Falcons yesterday. Miami’s defensive coordinator has been a finalist for the Saints, Commanders, and Falcons over the past couple of offseasons. Weaver certainly seems worthy of a chance to be a head coach at this point. We’ll see if he can become a favorite for anyone else this offseason. The Dolphins finished 24th in defensive DVOA last year with a skeleton crew defensive backs room.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed these teams’ interest in Joseph after he coached one of the NFL’s most dominant defenses in recent memory. Over the past two seasons the Broncos have allowed the league’s lowest offensive success rate and the third lowest EPA per play. Joseph would look to revamp the defenses of any one of these teams; all of them rank among the NFL’s worst units.

Demercado made the Cardinals’ final roster after training camp as the team’s third-string back. With James Conner and Trey Benson suffering season-ending injuries early in the year, Demercado got his shot in Week 5. Moments before scoring a 72-yard touchdown, Demercado let go of the ball at the goal line for a fumble that ultimately resulted in a touchback. Head coach Jonathan Gannon chewed Demercado out so aggressively after the play that he was fined $100,000 by the league. Even with opportunities up for grabs in the Arizona backfield, Gannon couldn’t bring himself to give Demercado another shot and he was relegated to a backup role for the remainder of the year. He finished the season with 44 carries for 312 yards and 13 grabs for 101 yards plus a touchdown. Demercado is a restricted free agent heading into the offseason, meaning the Cardinals can keep him on a cheap contract if they choose to do so.

Carter was cut by Arizona at the end of training camp. He bounced between their practice squad and active roster early in the year before injuries to James Conner and Trey Benson forced them to keep him around as a permanent member of the 53-man roster. He primarily served as the team’s top pass-catching option for the first few months of the year. Carter hit double-digit carries once before December but caught five passes on three occasions. Bam Knight then went down with an ankle injury, allowing Carter to take over as the team’s lead option between the tackles for the final month of the year. Carter finished the season with 92 carries for 333 yards and one touchdown. He also added 33 catches for 267 yards through the air. Carter, Knight, and Emari Demercado will all be options for the Cardinals’ RB3 gig next year. All three are free agents, though Carter is the only unrestricted free agent.

With the single-season receptions record for a tight end already claimed in Week 17, McBride got to put a bow on an already historic season in Week 18. While it wasn’t an elite showing from him to close the year, another seven grabs will make his record even more unattainable for the next tight end to challenge his throne. McBride’s season took off when Kyler Murray went down. Jacoby Brissett took over and cooked the books with absurd passing volume, funneling looks to McBride and Michael Wilson every week. McBride ended the year with a 126/1,239/11 receiving line. He totaled 97 catches, 964 yards, and 10 scores in a dozen Brissett starts. The Brissett takeover allowed him to run away with the TE1 overall crown. His 2025 season goes down as the second-best PPR campaign for a tight end in league history. Brissett is under contract for one more year, meaning he should be back in 2026. Fantasy managers would love to see another 17 games of the Brissett fantasy bonanza, but he will likely return as a bridge to a younger option. Even with some uncertainty around who will be throwing him passes next year, McBride is the uncontested TE1 heading into 2026.