The Miami Dolphins were set to hire Nathaniel Hackett, who now joins the Arizona Cardinals.
The Miami Dolphins were set to hire Nathaniel Hackett to be their quarterbacks coach under Jeff Hafley, but that is no longer the case.
Hackett has instead taken an offensive coordinator position with the Arizona Cardinals under the staff of Matt LaFleur.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported on the hire, stating:
"The Cardinals are hiring Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator, sources tell The Insiders.
"Hackett, 46, was the offensive coordinator for three seasons under Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. Now, he teams up with Mike LaFleur in Arizona."
Hackett had been announced as a potential hire for Hafley less than a week ago, and he now joins the Cardinals' staff. Considering the promotion, it makes sense that he chose Arizona over Miami.
With Hackett out, the Dolphins will now need to transition to another hire. Most of the staff under Hafley have been confirmed, and the coordinators were already in their introductory press conferences on Wednesday.
Hackett would have worked under Hafley and the new offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik. Now, he will work in tandem with LaFleur on offense, though it has been established that LaFleur will call plays.
Miami is in a bit of limbo with their current quarterback situation. Tua Tagovailoa was benched, and the team gave rookie Quinn Ewers a few starts to end the season.
The Dolphins have been connected to Malik Willis, but their cap situation might not lead to his signing.
Either way, whoever the quarterbacks coach for the Dolphins ends up being, they may have their hands full with a less-than-fluid situation. That may have swayed Hackett in his decision to join the Cardinals, or it may have simply been due to a better opportunity.
For now, Hafley and the rest of the staff will need to get together to find a new quarterbacks coach. There could be some internal candidates to look at, or Hafley may look to coaches he worked with previously.
The quarterbacks coach position is very important, and it wiill be especially true for the Dolphins when it is decided which route they will take with the determined player under center.
Should it be Ewers or Willis, both are young and will require some significant molding by whoever their coach is in 2026.