As news began to circulate that the Cardinals planned to fire Kliff Kingsbury, an interesting name surfaced as a candidate to replace him.
It’s rare for a coach from such a staff to be in the mix for the subsequent opening, but Arizona defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is expected to get a look from owner Michael Bidwill.
Bovada listed the odds of Arizona’s next coach on Monday and didn’t have Joseph among the options, but DraftKings came out with its odds on Tuesday, and he is on the short-list of favorites.
Joseph has +1000 odds to be the next coach of the Cardinals, which is tied with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans for the third-best.
Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has been listed as the favorite by DraftKings, and with odds that are much shorter than any other candidate on the list. Payton has +250 odds to be Arizona’s next head coach, with Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen a distant second at +650.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich are also among the presumed top options with +1200 odds apiece.
Here is a look at the top-12 candidates to be the next coach of the Cardinals, according to DraftKings on Jan. 10.
- Sean Payton +250
- Shane Steichen +650
- Vance Joseph +1000
- Ben Johnson +1000
- DeMeco Ryans +1000
- Dan Quinn +1200
- Byron Leftwich +1200
- Jim Harbaugh +1500
- Eric Bieniemy +1500
- Kellen Moore +1800
- Brian Johnson +1800
- Ken Dorsey +1800
Joseph has previous head coaching experience with the Denver Broncos, and has led the Cardinals to a pair of top-10 DVOA finishes in his four seasons as defensive coordinator.
Bidwill is paying out some major money after extending Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim just 10 months ago, and making Joseph the next coach would save some cash because it would mean less turnover on the staff.
If finances are not an issue, Bidwill may very well make a strong push for Payton. He is expected to command a hefty salary and may want a lot of personnel control, but that’s something Bidwill could consider after another era of Cardinals football fizzled out.
Steichen has done well with Philadelphia, and his schematics and philosophy could be a natural fit with quarterback Kyler Murray and his dual-threat abilities.
DraftKings also had some fun with its list, putting Matt Leinart, JJ Watt, Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner among the candidates, all at +15000 odds. Although after Jeff Saturday got the interim job with the Indianapolis Colts, who knows?
Here are the rest of the candidates that can be wagered on at DraftKings to be the Arizona Cardinals’ next head coach.
- Jonathan Gannon +2000
- Aaron Glenn +2000
- Raheem Morris +2500
- Darrell Bevell +2500
- Leslie Frazier +2500
- Mike Kafka +2500
- Frank Reich +3000
- Jim Caldwell +4000
- Shane Waldron +4000
- Frank Smith +4000
- Brian Callahan +5000
- Mike Macdonald +5000
- Wes Phillips +5000
- Steve Wilks +5000
- Josh McCown +5000
- Ejiro Evero +5000
- Brian Flores +5000
- David Shaw +5000
- Jason Garrett +10000
- Jerod Mayo +10000
- Matt Leinart +15000
- Kurt Warner +15000
- Carson Palmer +15000
- JJ Watt +15000
- Larry Fitzgerald +15000
- Herm Edwards +15000
- Adrian Wilson +15000
