Following Sunday’s humiliating loss to the Jameis Winston-led New York Giants, the now 1-3 Arizona Cardinals have already reached a pivotal crossroads in the 2026 regular season.

Change or else.

In a season that was banking on several key holdovers from the prior regime outperforming expectations, the Cardinals have quickly reverted to the team that Vegas deemed one of the worst in pro football. Despite the goodwill earned in their Week 1 victory against the now 0-4 Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona has spent the last three weeks reminding everyone of their uninspiring offseason that helped to lay the foundation for this start.

the arizona cardinals failed the 2026 regular season long before week 1

First it was Black Monday, when ownership made the decision to retain GM Monti Ossenfort despite any real showcase of player development. Ossenfort rewarded that stamp of approval by entering into a public contract holdout with QB Jacoby Brissett following a free agency period that saw the Cardinals spend little on significant roster upgrades.

The Cardinals, after initial inquiries with the likes of Malik Willis, Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garrapolo, pivoted to veteran QB Gardner Minshew before word leaked that Arizona planned to name Brissett their 2026 starter.

Brissett used this bit of breaking news as leverage to conduct a 3+ month holdout from the franchise until the 33-year-old journeyman was able to secure a $15-million-dollar base salary for this upcoming season.

Meanwhile, former Jonathan Gannon disciple Nick Rallis was asked to resume his role as the team’s defensive coordinator despite the Cardinals allowing a near-league-worst 28.7 ppg during the 2025 campaign. Reportedly, Arizona offered their temporarily vacant DC gig to several candidates including current Titans DC Gus Bradley and Seattle Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Karl Scott.

Both reportedly declined the job.

Fast-forward back to the present and it’s only a matter of time before Brissett, Rallis and Ossenfort inevitably part ways with the Cardinals franchise in one way or another.

Following a strong defensive performance in Week 1, Rallis’s unit has allowed a combined 103 total points in the team’s last three games (0-3). The most recent, a 36-24 collapse at the hands of the Giants, was easily the most troublesome given the fact that New York had not scored an offensive touchdown since Week 1.

First-year head coach Mike LaFleur made it a priority to reshape Rallis’s defensive staff with new position coaches that included longtime Pittsburgh Steelers DC Teryl Austin. Austin is incredibly well-respected around the NFL and is a logical successor to Rallis whenever LaFleur decides he’s seen enough.

Then there’s Brissett, who with Sunday’s loss, falls to just 2-14 as the starting quarterback for the Cardinals dating back to last season. Sunday’s debacle was especially damning for Brissett, given the fact that it marked his second defeat to a backup QB (Drew Lock) during the team’s three-game losing streak.

Up until recently, despite his lopsided record, Brissett was rarely viewed as the sole reason Arizona would routinely end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Brissett famously bolstered his 2025 statistics during the third and fourth quarters of games while the Cardinals consistently trailed by large quantities thanks to their inability to secure stops defensively.

Yet, his inability to deliver in crunch time has been greatly exposed each of the last two weeks.

In fact, dating back to last season, Brissett is now 0-7 in opportunities to win a game at the end of the fourth quarter or overtime.

The decision to roll with Brissett as the team’s starter falls squarely on Ossenfort, who had every opportunity to secure a succession plan once the franchise deemed Kyler Murray expendable. Instead, Ossenfort chose to buy into the boxscore resume of a quarterback that had been cast aside by five other franchises.

Sure, Ossenfort threw a lottery ticket on the 65th overall pick in Carson Beck, but the plan was to always give Brissett every opportunity to fail.

And fail he has.

So much so that it’s all but inevitable that, in an offseason that saw Brissett publicly demand starter money, the veteran may not make it more than a third of this season as the team’s QB1.

mike lafleur does not plan on making a change at QB following loss at giants

Ossenfort is a Beck Valley takeover away from exiting this franchise with one of the worst winning percentages for a GM in NFL history. Despite a January press conference that emphasized winning, Ossenfort sits at just 16-39 as the club’s top football executive. His winning percentage of .291 is challenged only by the likes of ex-Lions GM Matt Millen at just 27% games won.

While Ossenfort’s draft classes remain a mixed bag, his veteran player acquisition has been some of the worst in the NFL dating back to his hiring.

In a league that demands aggressiveness, Ossenfort is anything but. In his four seasons on the job, the Kansas native has yet to acquire a single starting caliber player via trade. That is almost unthinkable when you consider the proactive nature of his NFC West GM counterparts.

Which begs the question as to why Ossenfort, entering such a pivotal season, opted to take such a lax approach this past offseason? Was it because he assured Team President and owner Michael Bidwill that, with the absence of ex-head coach Jonathan Gannon, his prized draft picks would finally blossom?

Or is it because he lacks the necessary relationships to secure prized free agents or trade targets?

Whatever the reason, compared to the rest of the NFC West, the Cardinals have a distinct talent problem. Ossenfort famously owns a shocking 3-17 record against the Seahawks, 49ers and Rams collectively, with Arizona’s last win in division coming in Week 18, 2024 against the Josh Dobbs-led 49ers.

So as we sit here after yet another demoralizing loss, the worst may be yet to come. That’s because the Cardinals, after playing three of their first four games on the road, return home to State Farm Stadium and to a fanbase that is no doubt tired of the status quo.

Tired of 30+ points allowed by a Rallis-led defense.

Tired of a backup QB playing starter.

Tired of a general manager who refuses to take swings.

That was always the risk when the organization opted to keep so many key figures that represented a period of such failure for this franchise.

So whether it’s tonight, tomorrow or next week, rest assured changes are coming to Arizona.

Because what other choice do they have?

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