There is no doubt that it’s a new era for the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Mike LaFleur is in now, and he’s hoping to oversee a rapid rebuild for the team.
For now, though, not many people seem to expect this to be the rapid rebuild LaFleur would like. Instead, there are major concerns about the Cardinals going into next season. Those concerns are so great that Arizona is now the betting favorite to finish the 2026 season with the worst record in the NFL.
Per DraftKings, the Cardinals are +240 to have the worst record in all of football next season. The next closest team is the Miami Dolphins, who are also entering a rebuild with a new coach. However, the Dolphins’ odds to have the worst record are at +425, which is significantly different from the Cardinals.
Furthermore, DraftKings has set the 2026 over/under line on wins for the Cardinals at 4.5 games. They’re also +9000 to win the NFC West. No other team has worse odds to win the division. The San Francisco 49ers are closest at +260. Unsurprisingly, the Cardinals then also have the longest odds to win the Super Bowl, sitting at +40000.
There is Value for the Arizona Cardinals Finishing with the Worst Record in the NFL
The problem for the Arizona Cardinals is that none of these odds are overly surprising. The quarterback situation is up in the air, with Jacoby Brissett looking for a new contract and rookie Carson Beck likely in need of time to get his feet under him.
This also comes when the Cardinals have been rumored to be tanking. NFL insider Jason La Canfora was on those rumors, with anonymous league sources opening up on those concerns.
“They’re tanking, bro,” the general manager told La Canfora. “They aren’t even hiding it.”
There is some logic to tanking for the Cardinals. In general, the 2027 NFL Draft is seen as an excellent class. In particular, there should be a strong group of quarterbacks ready to come into the league. That includes some big names like Arch Manning, Dante Moore, and Julian Sayin. So, while nobody wants teams to tank, it could be a step in a greater rebuild, especially given Arizona’s quarterback situation.
“It’s all about 2027 for Arizona,” an agent told La Canfora. “It’s between them and the Jets (for the top pick). They want LaFleur to have his pick of anyone he wants.”
Cardinals Tyler Allgeier Named the Biggest Loser in the NFL Draft
The Arizona Cardinals picked Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with their first pick in the NFL Draft. That move was designed to provide part of the backfield that they can build around in the coming years, and the general agreement is that Love should be phenomenal.
However, the pick does leave Tyler Allgeier as the NFL Draft’s biggest loser. ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently explained.
“My draft loser, if you will call him that, is the Arizona Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier,” Schefter said. “Tyler Allgeier was in Atlanta and wanted a larger role and left Atlanta in free agency to go to Arizona, which paid him $7 million for the upcoming season. He thought he was going to be the lead back there … or at least get more work than he got in Atlanta.”
Obviously, the hope is that both Love and Allgeier can contribute together for Arizona. That running back by committee approach could help keep them fresh and performing at a high level. However, it is hard to imagine that Schefter is wrong and Love isn’t going to be the day 1 starter.
Cardinals Earn Ominous Win Total Odds Ahead of the 2026 Season