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Cardinals hire Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, per reports

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Cardinals hire Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, per reports

The Arizona Cardinals moved quickly to secure first-time head coach Mike LaFleur a veteran offensive coordinator.

The Cardinals are set to hire Nathaniel Hackett as their new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.

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Hackett will join the Cardinals after spending the 2025 NFL season as a defensive analyst with the Green Bay Packers. The 46-year-old worked alongside Matt LaFleur – brother of Mike – in that role, just as he did during his stint as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator from 2019-21.

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Hackett’s original stint in Green Bay was when his coaching staff initially rose. It was his third stop as an NFL offensive coordinator, after serving in the role on Doug Marrone’s staff with the Buffalo Bills (2013-14) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2016-18), and Hackett developed a strong working relationship with Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers earned back-to-back MVP nods in 2020 and 2021 under Hackett’s leadership. He became a coveted coaching candidate and ultimately landed the head coaching job with the Denver Broncos during the 2022 NFL season.

Things didn’t go well in Hackett’s lone season as a head coach. He struggled with game and management while Russell Wilson floundered in the first-year coach’s offense. Denver posted a 4-11 record before making Hackett a one-and-done coach.

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After that, Hackett took the offensive coordinator job with the Jets, where he reunited with Rodgers and, ironically, replaced Mike LaFleur. New York ranked dead-last in EPA per play in 2023, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, a campaign during which Rodgers played just four snaps. The Jets improved to 17th in EPA per play in 2024, but Hackett was stripped of play-calling duties by interim coach Jeff Hafley after Robert Saleh was fired following a 2-3 start to the season.

LaFleur will be hoping Hackett can replicate the success he enjoyed on his brother’s staff with the Packers. Green Bay ranked top-10 in both yards and points per game over Hackett’s final two seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Hackett had originally accepted an offer to serve as the Miami Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach alongside Jeff Hafley, with whom he worked in his most recent stint with the Packers. The Dolphins will need to replace Hackett after he was promoted to join the Cardinals.

Nathaniel Hackett teams coached

Hackett got his NFL start as a quality control assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006. The team employed his father, Paul Hackett, as their quarterbacks coach at the time.

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Below is a full look at Hackett’s NFL coaching history:

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006-07)

    • Offensive quality control

  • Buffalo Bills (2008-09)

    • Offensive quality control

  • Jacksonville Jaguars (2015-18)

    • Quarterbacks coach (2015-16)

    • Offensive coordinator (2016-18)

  • Green Bay Packers (2019-21)

Hackett also had stops at Stanford (2003-05) and Syracuse (2010-12) as part of his coaching journey to date.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cardinals hire Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, per reports

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