Only one day removed from Black Monday, the Arizona Cardinals could be closing in on a seismic head-coaching hire.
Multiple reports suggested Tuesday that the Cardinals have zeroed in on Andy Reid as their next coach, and the wide expectation is a deal will be completed. The Philadelphia Inquirer heard it already was a "done deal," but ESPN said there is a "95 percent chance" that Reid will wind up as Cardinals coach and could have the job by the end of the week.
The team denied those reports -- Mark Dalton, the Cardinals' vice president of media relations, tweeted "I'm 99% sure that reports of a deal being 95% done are 100% incorrect" -- but this much smoke usually means there's fire.
Dalton also tweeted that the Cardinals have interviewed defensive coordinator Ray Horton for their head-coaching job and plan to meet with Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy over the weekend. Horton's interview satisfies the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires team to interview minority candidates.
If Reid landed in Arizona, the Cardinals could wind up building Philadelphia Eagles West. There is disagreement among reports if Reid could bring former Eagles and Cleveland Browns GM Tom Heckert with him, but Reid has plenty of options for his potential coaching staff. Former Eagles assistants Pat Shurmur and Brad Childress could be candidates for offensive coordinator.
At his Monday news conference, Cardinals president Michael Bidwill expressed a desire to salvage Kevin Kolb's career, although Reid already has traded away the quarterback once. If Reid landed with the Cardinals, speculation immediately would start regarding if he'd bring Michael Vick to Arizona.
That quarterback conversation is for another post and another day. At the speed the Cardinals could be moving, that day might arrive very soon.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
