NFL Sends Brutal Message to Arizona Cardinals With Zero Primetime Games

The Arizona Cardinals were sent a brutal message by the NFL after the full release of their 2026 schedule:

You're not good enough to play under the lights.

The Cardinals were one of five NFL teams to not be featured in a prime time game this offseason, being joined by the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders.

The Dolphins, Raiders, Titans, Jets and Cardinals all got zero primetime games. This is the definite list of NFL sadness. An entire league focused on as many primetime games as possible has decreed that these five teams stink so bad the nation shouldn’t be required to watch them.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 15, 2026

Arizona was also not featured in any international games for the 2026 season.

This is the first time in three seasons where the Cardinals won't be on Thursday, Sunday or Monday night.

There is still a chance the team could surprise everybody, which could see a game later in the year flexed to a prime time slate. However, that doesn't seem likely.

Arizona hit the rebuild button once again when they fired head coach Jonathan Gannon and released franchise quarterback Kyler Murray. Mike LaFleur was hired as a first-time coach while the team's future remains unclear in the post-Murray era.

Murray will be in a few different primetime battles after signing with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Kyler Murray-led Minnesota Vikings have four prime time games this season.
— Johnny Venerable (@JohnnyVenerable) May 15, 2026

Can the Cardinals come close to surprising people next season?

We shouldn't forget Arizona was highly expected to make the postseason in 2025 before the massive slew of injuries derailed their season.

“I would say 31 other teams are probably looking at their team right now and saying they’ve gotten better and have improved," Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said after the draft.

"In all reality, none of us know. None of us know until we get out on the field in September and (see) how we mesh, how we perform and if we stay healthy—all of those things. I think everybody can say the same but until you’re out there competing when things mean something, it’s something you don’t really know.”

There's been some optimism in the desert after improving the offensive line and adding a playmaker in running back Jeremiyah Love. Perhaps third-round pick Carson Beck can surprise some at quarterback, too.

Yet the NFL's exclusion of the Cardinals from any sort of nationally televised matchup was a sobering reminder of what the rest of the league and television executives believe of Arizona, at least for this season.

We've seen plenty of underdog stories come to fruition at the NFL level, and perhaps the Cardinals can follow suit in 2026. The tools are there, though expectations clearly are not outside of the desert.

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