Report: Jags expected to hire Cardinals OC candidate John DeFilippo
Jan 16, 2019, 10:09 AM | Updated: 10:10 am
The Arizona Cardinals appear to be losing one of their top offensive coordinator candidates, as John DeFilippo is expected to join the Jacksonville Jaguars as their OC, reported NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Wednesday.
Arizona interviewed DeFilippo on Sunday.
DeFilippo has prior experience working under Jaguars executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin while serving as quality control coach for the then-New York Giants head coach in 2005-06.
Additionally, he will have the opportunity to call plays in Jacksonville. The Cardinals’ next offensive coordinator is expected to focus on the development of rookie quarterback Josh Rosen, as head coach Kliff Kingsbury said that he will be the play-caller.
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Kingsbury said at his introductory press conference he’d like an offensive coordinator that “will be somebody that will come in and help me mesh some of my ideas with some traditional things that they have done in the NFL.”
Among other candidates considered for the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator position are former Detroit Lions OC Jim Bob Cooter and former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo, according to multiple reports. Former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian interviewed but is no longer a candidate for the job, reported 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro.
DeFilippo, 40, has 12 seasons of NFL coaching experience and was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings this past season.
He didn’t last the full season in Minnesota, though. He was fired after Week 14 when the Vikings managed just seven points in a road loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
It was his second offensive coordinator job, as DeFilippo held that position with the Cleveland Browns in 2015. Most of DeFilippo’s coaching experience is as a quarterbacks coach.
DeFilippo will take the Jaguars’ job over former Cardinals OC Mike McCoy, who reportedly interviewed for the position in Jacksonville after being fired following a Week 7 loss in his first year with Arizona.
The Cardinals have already added several offensive position coaches before adding an offensive coordinator.
On Sunday, they announced the hiring of offensive line coach Sean Kugler, assistant offensive line coach Brian Natkin and wide receivers coach David Raih. The team also retained tight ends coach Steve Heiden and will reportedly bring on former Steelers assistant James Saxon as running backs coach.
