Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett hasn't had the greatest coaching career outside of his tenure with the Green Bay Packers in from 2019-2021. Hackett was however a former New York Jets employee like newly hired Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur. While neither coach has much emphatic prestige, are Hackett and LaFleur truly the answer for a dire Cardinals franchise?
Well, nepotism is a daunting ingredient involved in the hiring process for administrators across many career fields and such influence has shown itself to exist within the NFL as well. While Hackett however, can hang his hat on helping Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers win the NFL MVP award in 2019, Rodgers had already merited league-wide respect
for his uncanny passing accuracy before meeting Hackett. Hackett hasn't accomplished anything else of incredible significance in recent years, though. Emphatically, Hackett's dismissal from head coaching duties with the Denver Broncos in 2022 as well as his firing from the Jets in 2024 are two bright blemishes that should not go ignored.
Hackett does have the opportunity to rewrite history with the Cardinals in 2026 though. The all-pro play of starting tight end Trey McBride, youth of wide receivers Michael Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., and upside to rookie Jeremiyah Love should definitely give Hackett hope. However, with Hackett being hired by a Cardinals franchise that has continued to show its mediocrity over the last half-decade, the idea of merit has been obscure.
Thankfully, the play-calling duties for the Cardinals franchise will fall on the shoulders of LaFleur and not Hackett in 2026. Hackett's proclivity to pass will be overridden by LaFleur's practicality, an epic psychological rebuttal needed every practice. Across the line of scrimmage from Hackett on each 11-on-11 rep during training camp, defensive coordinator Nick Rallis will work his construct and challenge the Cardinals offense to strive for perfection. With prestige non-existent for the Cardinals in recent years, Hackett will want to make sure 2026 isn't simply a re-run but instead a step in the right direction.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Cardinals OC Nathaniel Hackett has NFL history but not as a hero
