Cardinals Coordinator Could Be Next Head Coach Hire

The Arizona Cardinals could lose one of their two coordinators this offseason.

Oct 21, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona Cardinals helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals kept all of their coaching staff from the 2023 season, and thanks to an improved roster and continuity within the facility, the organization has seen a turnaround quicker than most had anticipated.

The work isn't done for head coach Jonathan Gannon and his staff, who have the Cardinals as NFC West leaders coming down the stretch of the regular season.

If their success continues, however, Gannon may be forced to fill a major hole in his staff next offseason.

NFL insider Tom Pelissero revealed 20+ names to watch in the coming hiring cycle for head coach openings, and Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing landed on the list.

"A onetime Middlebury College defensive back whose playing career was curtailed by injuries, Petzing broke into the NFL as a football operations intern with the Browns in 2013. He since has risen through the coaching ranks in Minnesota and again in, eventually reuniting with former Vikings cohort Jonathan Gannon in Arizona after the 2022 season," wrote Pelissero.

"Other coaches lauded the job Petzing did under challenging circumstances last season, when Arizona started three different quarterbacks in a rebuilding year. Now the Cardinals are one of the best stories in football, sitting in first place in the NFC West with Kyler Murray fully healthy and playing at an MVP level. Petzing's reputation has been positive at every stop in his young coaching career."

Pelissero isn't the first person to highlight Petzing as a possibility, as places such as The Athletic and Sports Illustrated also named Arizona's OC as a figure to watch.

The Cardinals brought Petzing over from Cleveland shortly after Gannon got hired in the 2023 offseason. Arizona didn't find much success in the first half of the year while Murray was rehabbing a torn ACL, though there were numerous encouraging signs that the Cardinals could find sustainable success on offense moving forward.

After adding more talent to the offensive line and drafting Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona's overall offensive output has been notable despite some bumps along the way. The Cardinals sit just outside of the top ten in yards per game at 346.4 while also averaging nearly 24 points per contest.

There's expected to be around seven head coach openings this offseason, per a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Names such as Ben Johnson, Kliff Kingsbury and Bill Belichick are some of the top names expected to enter the ring during the cycle, so we'll see how Petzing interviews and stacks up against them.

If not this offseason, Petzing could very well land elsewhere in the future so long as Murray and the Cardinals are humming on his side of the ball.