Giants candidate Wilks hired as Cards coach
Steve Wilks is the new head coach of the Cardinals.
Arizona announced Monday that the 48-year-old Panthers defensive coordinator had agreed to a fouryear contract with a team option for a fifth.
Wilks spent one season as coordinator in Carolina, his 12th year as an NFL assistant. Wilks spent five seasons as Panthers secondary coach before his promotion a year ago.
He replaces the colorful and outspoken Bruce Arians, who retired after five seasons and compiled a franchise-record 50 victories. Wilks was in the running for the Giants’ head coaching job, which went to Vikings assistant Pat Shurmur.
With the hiring of Wilks, all three major football programs in the state have African-American coaches — Wilks, Herm Edwards at Arizona State and Kevin Sumlin at Arizona. Wilks is the Cardinals’ second Afri- can-American coach (Dennis Green was the first) and the only minority to get an NFL head-coaching job this hiring cycle.
The Cardinals were 8-8 last season despite a myriad of significant injuries and closed out Arians’ career with a win in Seattle.
“This is not really a rebuild, this is a retool,” Wilks told azcardinals.com. “We have the culture of winning here. We just have to be able to sustain it. It’s all about trying to get to the next level and the consistency you need to get to the next level.”
The Cardinals planned to introduce Wilks as coach at a news conference Tuesday at team headquarters.
PANTHERS: Coach Ron Rivera promoted defensive line coach Eric Washington as Wilks’ replacement, just hours after the hiring of Wilks became official.
Wilks’ departure means the Panthers will enter next season with three new coordinators. Rivera fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula two days after the season and replaced him with Norv Turner. Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey was replaced by former assistant coach Chase Blackburn.
BROWNS: Todd Haley will be named Cleveland’s new offensive coordinator, according to reports.
Haley was fired last week by the Steelers after six seasons. He reportedly struggled to get along with quar- terback Ben Roethlisberger.
TITANS: Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will not return next season under new head coach Mike Vrabel, according to reports. LeBeau, 80, is expected to consider retirement.
FALCONS: Greg Knapp is returning to Atlanta as its quarterbacks coach, the team announced. Knapp replaces Bush Hamdan, who left to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Washington.