It’ll be interesting to watch how the upcoming NFL head coach hiring cycle will go down. And if the Arizona Cardinals keep up their success, how coordinators Drew Petzing and Nick Rallis get their names into the mix.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects there could be around seven coach openings this offseason, and there are plenty of seasoned coaches who are free agents — Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel and Brian Flores to name a few.
But what about the young guys?
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero used his reporting intel to create a list of 22 “young” coaches to watch in the coming cycle, and Arizona offensive coordinator Petzing is among them.
Drew Petzing, future NFL head coach?
To put it lightly, the Cardinals have shocked the NFL thus far into the season.
Sitting atop the NFC West standings with a one-game lead at 6-4, Arizona has become one of the better stories in football. Petzing has played a big part in that.
Pelissero praised Petzing on what he’s done for the Cardinals’ offense this season.
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.
RELATED STORIES
Petzing came to Arizona in 2023 after spending three seasons with the Cleveland Browns, serving as the team’s tight end coach (2020-21) and quarterback coach (2022).
He worked with a Cardinals offense that was missing quarterback Kyler Murray (torn ACL) for nine games in 2023, and a 4-13 season ultimately led the team to drafting Marvin Harrison Jr., who gave Petzing a real WR1.
So far, it’s working. The Cardinals are currently 11th in the NFL in yards per game with 346.4, while also averaging nearly 24 points per contest.
Is it possible we see Petzing in a head coaching position in the future?
Other Cardinals coaches listed among those to watch in future years
Petzing isn’t the only coach in the Cardinals organization who could have a shot at a coaching gig.
Here is who else among the Cardinals coaching staff NFL Network thinks could be under consideration for a head coaching job in the offseasons beyond this upcoming one:
- Defensive Coordinator Nick Rallis, 31 years old
- Assistant QB coach Connor Senger, 29
- LB coach Sam Siefkes, 33
- Passing game coordinator/WR coach Drew Terrell, 33
- DB coach Patrick Toney, 34
- Pass game specialist Spencer Whipple, 35
- QB coach Israel Woolfork, 33