Football - Arizona Cardinals Hire New Head Coach

Arizona Cardinals Hire New Head Coach

Arizona Cardinals have gone ahead and signed a four year contract with Ken Whisenhunt as the new head coach. Whisenhunt was considered to be one of the hottest candidates during the present NFL hiring cycle.

Whisenhunt will be the successor to Dennis Green. The financial details of the contract where not disclosed but it is known that it includes a team option for the fifth year. However, based on what Cardinals paid coaches in the past, it is assumed that Whisenhunt would be earning an annual salary in the range of $2.5 million.

The Cardinals interviewed eight candidates initially. Then they brought back Mike Sherman, assistant head coach of Houston Texans, and Ken Whisenhunt for a second round of interviews. It was alleged that the position was offered to Sherman but team officials denied that report. Ultimately Cardinals settled on the 44 year old Whisenhunt as they were looking for a coach to work with quarterback Matt Leinart and Whisenhunt’s development of Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh impressed Cardinals.

Ken Whisenhunt is a native from Atlanta who played at Georgia Tech and then went on to play tight end for Falcons for four seasons from 1985 to 1988. Whisenhunt played a total of nine NFL seasons.

Whisenhunt is known to be a fearless playcaller who is extremely adept at creating advantageous matchups. As an offensive coordinator, Whisenhunt ensured that the Steelers’ offense statistics rose to no. 7 in the NFL in 2006 which was 16 in 2004 and 15 in 2005.