Cardinals Could Lose OC Next Offseason

The Arizona Cardinals could see Drew Petzing find a head coaching gig.

Sep 10, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon (left) hugs Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing before the game against the Washington Commander at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brent Skeen-Imagn Images / Brent Skeen-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals have found their footing in massive fashion through the last four weeks, going 4-0 in that stretch and playing some of the best football in the league.

Kyler Murray looks like an MVP candidate. Marvin Harrison Jr. leads rookies in receiving touchdowns. James Conner is still in prime form and Trey McBride is excelling.

All under the orchestrated efforts of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, though the team's success may not lead Petzing to stick around for long.

The Athletic recently unveiled their list of 2025 head coaching candidates, and the second-year offensive coordinator was indeed one of the names highlighted.

"The Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator has gotten the best out of Kyler Murray, and rival coaches and executives have been impressed with Petzing’s work for the past couple of seasons," wrote Jeff Howe.

"Petzing, 37, worked under offensive coordinators Norv Turner, Pat Shurmur, John DeFilippo and Kevin Stefanski during his six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before joining Stefanski with the Cleveland Browns.

"Petzing was somewhat of an unknown commodity when he joined the Cardinals, but they’re an up-and-coming team that’s been well-coached under Jonathan Gannon. It’s only a matter of time before teams interview Petzing to get a longer look at his head coaching potential."

Arizona's 346.4 offensive yards per game sits right outside of the league's top ten while they've scored 28 or more points in the last three games.

Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr also highlighted Petzing as a head coaching candidate:

"Petzing has orchestrated the second-most successful opening-drive offense in the NFL and the fourth-best offense in the league overall in terms of EPA per play. The 37-year-old Middlebury College graduate began his coaching career in the Ivy League before breaking into the NFL in 2013 with the Browns. Petzing was a longtime member of the Vikings’ staff under Mike Zimmer, which has produced other talented young head coaches in Jonathan Gannon and Kevin Stefanski."

In a league that's shifted towards more young and offensive-minded head coaches, Petzing certainly fits the bill of what an organization could be searching for moving into the future.

"I think it's been a little inconsistent," Petzing said during Arizona's early season struggles. "That's the key. I'm always going to say my playcalling is how we roll as an offense. So when we are rolling I take a lot of pride in that. I also have to give a lot of credit to the players and their execution.

"When we're not, I have to look at myself and say, 'What can we do better?' As you look throughout our first six games, I think we have to clean up the inconsistency, and that starts with me as a playcaller."

Petzing's got a front row seat to how Jonathan Gannon has helped turn the Cardinals around, and perhaps down the road he'll get an opportunity to do the same.