The Cardinals are one of two NFL franchises without a head coach, and owner Michael Bidwill has made it clear that will continue beyond Super Bowl LVII as Arizona homes in on the best candidate.
"It's Super Bowl weekend and the entire NFL is focused on the Super Bowl," Bidwill said, via the team's website. "So we're going to pause throughout the rest of the weekend and get restarted on this on Monday morning."
Arizona has had a vacancy at the position since firing Kliff Kingsbury after four seasons on Jan. 9. In the month after, the Cardinals have moved two candidates onto the second round of interviews.
NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Feb. 4 that Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was getting another interview, and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport added on that same day that Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was also moving to the next round.
Bidwill did not name names, but he noted that two second-round interviews have taken place this week.
The Colts remain the other team still conducting a search at the all-important position and owner Jim Irsay said on Feb. 7 that a hire is still days away, but unlike the Cardinals, they aren't currently engaged in the frenzy of hosting a Super Bowl in their own backyard.
And despite any consternation from fans over the delay in an already drawn out search, the Cards owner is pleased with the process.
"We're excited about the great progress we have made," Bidwill said. "Every bit of advice has been 'take your time' and we have. I'm sure there are some frustrations with some of our fans, but we want to make the right decision, not the fastest decision."
In the long run, fans will forgive a delay of any length if the eventual hire leads to a postseason return following a unexpected 4-13 season.
For now, new general manager Monti Ossenfort, hired on Jan. 16, will continue working in tandem with Bidwill to come to the right decision.
"In the history of all Super Bowls, there has never been a team that is doing a GM search, a coach search and then hosting a Super Bowl just a few weeks later, so we've been really busy planning," Bidwill said. "Monti, the new GM, has been fantastic. Everyone is working well together. You can already feel the new energy as he is restructuring things."
