New Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur made his first big hire on Tuesday.
The Cardinals are hiring Nathaniel Hackett as their new offensive coordinator, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported on Wednesday.
Hackett's move to the desert comes as a surprise after he was set to join the Miami Dolphins as their quarterbacks coach.
Instead, Hackett, the former Broncos head coach and Jets offensive coordinator, is headed west with a bigger title.
Hackett was seen as a rising coaching star during his tenure as Packers offensive coordinator from 2019-2021 during which he helped direct the league's No. 1 offense in 2020 as Aaron Rodgers won back-to-back MVP awards (2020-21). But Hackett's stock has taken a dip since with a failed one-year run as Denver Broncos head coach in 2022, and then an unsuccessful reunion with Rodgers as Jets OC in 2023 and 2024.
Hackett's run of success in Green Bay coincidentally came when he was paired with Mike LaFleur's older brother, Matt, who had the role as offensive play-caller as Packers head coach.
Mike LaFleur told reporters on Tuesday that he also plans to call plays on offense, so a similar LaFleur-Hackett pairing could be in the works in Arizona.
The offseason priority for the two will be to solve the Cardinals' QB dilemma with Kyler Murray.
Murray appeared in just five games this past season while battling a foot injury, casting into question the 2019 No. 1 overall pick's future with the club.
LaFleur said Tuesday that he has been in contact with Murray since his hiring but declined to speculate on the QB's status heading into an important offseason for the franchise.
