The Arizona Cardinals opted to fire head coach Jonathan Gannon on Black Monday, ending a three-year tenure that disappointingly ended with both a 3-14 record and last-place finish within the NFC West.
With the rest of the division -- the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers -- all finishing with 12 wins or better, Arizona has easily emerged as the laughingstock out west, the lone NFC West squad with zero means to legitimately compete with its rivals at any point in the foreseeable future.
And, so, a rebuild out in the desert is sorely needed. Especially considering an uncertain future for quarterback Kyler Murray and an offense that needs all kinds of support outside of wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Trey McBride.
As is the case with any team after firing its head coach, the Cardinals will have several options. It's even possible the Red Birds look to pluck defensive coordinator Robert Saleh away from the Niners in an attempt to both weaken a division rival while instilling some stability atop the organization.
Yet there's one name already linked to Arizona's new opening, and San Francisco wouldn't mind at all if its rivals opted to go in that direction.
49ers would LOL if Cardinals opt to hire Arthur Smith as head coach
Perhaps current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith gets a bad reputation, thanks to NFL content creator Annie Agar's hilariously brutal takes on him.
Pittsburgh's offense hasn't exactly been other-worldly, averaging 5.3 yards per play this season. And Smith's previous head-coaching stopover with the Atlanta Falcons resulted in three consecutive 7-10 finishes before his firing in January of 2024.
If there's anything to brag of, it'd be Smith's ability to generate a solid ground attack, which the Cardinals do need.
However, going with a retread who hasn't exactly generated significant success since 2020 as part of the Tennessee Titans coaching staff won't move the needle much in the NFC West's pecking order.
The Hawks' Mike Macdonald has already established himself as an elite defensive-minded head coach, while both the 49ers' Kyle Shanahan and the Los Angeles Rams' Sean McVay are widely viewed as being atop the league in offensive abilities and scheming.
Smith, meanwhile, is about as far of a cry as possible and would certainly aid in keeping Arizona in the NFC West basement, should the Cardinals go in that direction.