The former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 with high hopes. Although his rookie season, 4-13, didn’t look promising, he improved to 8-9 in 2024. In the 2025 season, the Cardinals were sitting at 2-0 at the end of week 2, and by the end of week 5, they were on the back foot with a 2-3 record. They hit three back-to-back losses against the San Francisco 49ers (16-15), the Seattle Seahawks (23-20), and then the Tennessee Titans (22-21). What hurt the most was the last game against the Titans, as it slipped through their fingers. But this game wasn’t just another loss for Gannon. It also involved an altercation that has now made things worse for the Cardinals’ head coach. 

In the game against the Titans, Gannon was fined $100,000 for his sideline interaction with running back Emari Demercado. With just under 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, it looked like running back Emari Demercado had a 72-yard touchdown. It would have increased the Cardinals’ lead to 28-6. After review, it was determined that Demercado released the football before crossing the goal line, and it was ruled a touchback.

Later, Gannon approached Demercado on the sidelines while he was being consoled by left tackle Paris Johnson. Gannon was then seen yelling at Demercado for his costly mistake. He then swiped his arm down, which looked like a jostle. This altercation has made Gannon’s position as HC of the Cardinals a bit shaky, as he was already in the spotlight because of back-to-back losses. Cardina’s current situation has put them at the bottom of the NFC West.

Gannon later tried to calm the situation, apologizing to Emari Demercado during a team meeting. “I woke up this morning and didn’t feel great about it, honestly. So in the team meeting, I addressed it, I apologized to Emari, apologized to the team. I just told them I let the moment of what happened get the better of me.” Gannon said. But despite the apology, the six-figure fine puts Gannon in a rare record list. 

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A first of its kind fine was followed up by high hopes  

After the game against the Titans, Gannon has joined a list he wouldn’t have imagined joining before the start of the season. Gannon has now become the first NFL coach to be fined for an altercation with a player since 2022. Earlier, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians received a similar $50,000 fine for swiping his hand at safety Andrew Adams’ helmet during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.

Although it looks like everything is going against Gannon for now, he isn’t ready to throw in the towel. After the last game, Gannon described the team’s energy and vibe as “dope as h–l”. 

“Today, dope as h–l, honestly,” Gannon revealed the environment in the team. “It really was. It really was. I couldn’t start the meeting on time because of the energy in the room, so that’s good to see. But we have to make sure that we’re on the details in the meeting room and during walkthrough and practice. But it was really good.” Gannon said. 

Despite all the chaos, Gannon has one way to rebound, and that’s by leading the Cardinals back into the playoff hunt the rest of the way. Otherwise, he might have to deal with some harsh decisions from the Cardinals’ management. 

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