Could former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley return to the desert as the team's next head coach?
ABC15 sports director Craig Fouhy has learned that some NFL coaches close to Haley are pushing for the 50-year-old to become the successor to former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, who retired Jan. 1. Haley most recently served as the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator, but the Steelers declined to renew Haley's contract following the 2017 season.
Whether the Cardinals are interested in Haley is another question. The team has reportedly interviewed at least nine candidates for the vacant head coaching position, but Haley is not among them. Haley is also reportedly in talks to become the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator.
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Haley was the Cardinals' offensive coordinator from 2007-08, which includes the season that the Cardinals advanced to Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Incidentally, Arians was the Steelers' offensive coordinator in that game.
Haley became the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009. He went 19-26 as Chiefs head coach before being fired late in the 2011 season. He replaced Arians as the Steelers' offensive coordinator in 2012.
Two weeks ago, Fouhy learned Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was the frontrunner for the Cardinals' head coaching job. But Shurmur is reportedly set to accept the head coaching role with the Giants. Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, Eagles quarterbacks coach John DiFilippo, Falcons special-teams coach Keith Armstrong and Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher are also reportedly in the mix.
