The Arizona Cardinals are turning to a familiar name in NFL coaching circles to help jumpstart their offense. Nathaniel Hackett is officially on board as the team’s new offensive coordinator, joining forces with newly hired head coach Mike LaFleur. The move reunites Hackett with the LaFleur coaching tree-he previously worked under Mike’s older brother, Matt LaFleur, in Green Bay.
Hackett had just accepted a job as the Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach, but Arizona’s offer gave him a quick promotion opportunity he couldn’t pass up. It’s a full-circle moment of sorts: Hackett is stepping into a role once held by Mike LaFleur himself, and he even replaced LaFleur as the Jets’ offensive coordinator not too long ago. The coaching carousel in the NFL never stops spinning, and Hackett's path is proof of that.
At 46, Hackett brings a wealth of experience-both the highs and the lows. His NFL journey started back in 2006 with the Buccaneers as an offensive quality control coach.
From there, he moved to Buffalo in a similar role before making the jump to the college ranks at Syracuse, where he quickly rose to offensive coordinator. That stint caught the attention of Doug Marrone, who brought Hackett back to the NFL as his OC in Buffalo and later in Jacksonville.
Hackett’s time in Jacksonville included a run to the AFC Championship Game in 2017, but consistency proved elusive. He was let go midway through the 2018 season. In 2019, he landed with the Packers and eventually became their offensive coordinator, helping guide one of the league’s most efficient offenses with Aaron Rodgers under center.
Then came his shot at the top job. Hackett was hired as the Broncos’ head coach in 2022, but the tenure was short-lived.
Denver struggled mightily, and Hackett was let go before the end of his first season, finishing with a 4-11 record. He resurfaced in 2023 as the offensive coordinator for the Jets, but the offense never found its footing.
The Jets ranked near the bottom of the league across the board-31st in total offense, 29th in points per game, 30th in passing yards, and 23rd in rushing. He was replaced during the 2024 season and wasn’t retained by the incoming staff.
In 2025, Hackett returned to Green Bay in a consulting role, helping behind the scenes. Miami was set to bring him in as quarterbacks coach before Arizona came calling with a bigger opportunity.
For the Cardinals, the hire signals a clear intent to build an offense rooted in familiarity and experience. Hackett knows the LaFleur system, understands how to work with quarterbacks, and has been around the league long enough to have seen just about everything. Whether he can help Arizona take the next step offensively remains to be seen, but the pieces are starting to fall into place.
This is a pivotal moment for the Cardinals’ offense. With Mike LaFleur stepping into his first head coaching role and Hackett bringing both scars and lessons from past stints, the pairing offers a blend of fresh leadership and seasoned perspective. If they can get on the same page and find rhythm early, Arizona could quietly become one of the more intriguing offensive stories to watch in 2026.