The Arizona Cardinals have officially introduced Nathaniel Hackett, Nick Rallis and Michael Ghobrial as the inaugural coordinators under head coach Mike LaFleur. If there is one key point LaFleur wants people to understand, it is that he would not end the offseason without Hackett on his staff.
Hackett has been an NFL offensive coordinator since 2013, but he has been criticized for his approach in recent years. LaFleur does not care about any of the noise and told reporters he only wanted to hire Hackett and “nobody else.”
“[Nathaniel Hackett has] been very successful; he’s very highly thought of, particularly in our profession. If you guys believe one thing from this press conference, it is literally I wanted him and nobody else.”
“I wanted him and nobody else. And he’s here.”
Mike LaFleur on new Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. pic.twitter.com/Pc2fXNowqN
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) February 18, 2026
LaFleur poached Hackett from his brother, Matt LaFleur. Hackett spent the 2025 season as a defensive analyst for the Green Bay Packers, serving as an offensive mind to give the defensive coaching staff a new perspective.
Hackett has spent four of the last seven seasons with Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. The best run of his career came as the Packers’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021, before he left for his infamous, disastrous one-year stint as the Denver Broncos’ head coach. Hackett attempted to return to the well by becoming the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator in 2023, where he got a chance to work with Aaron Rodgers again, only to get fired after two years with the team.
Hackett now steps into his fifth different NFL offensive coordinator position with the Cardinals. With Mike LaFleur coming from the Sean McVay coaching tree, as his older brother did, the 46-year-old can only hope to rediscover the success that once earned him a head coaching opportunity.
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