The Arizona Cardinals need a replacement for Bruce Arians, and the franchise is eyeing an offensive coordinator as its next head coach.
According to Craig Fouhy of ABC15, Minnesota Vikings assistant Pat Shurmur has “emerged as the frontrunner” to head the Cardinals.
Minnesota is still in the playoffs, so official news cannot be expected until the Vikings’ playoff run ends. Then, if Shurmur agrees to a deal with Arizona, per Fouhy, the coach would try to bring along Minnesota quarterback Case Keenum, an impending free agent.
Shurmur has spent the last 19 years in the NFL, breaking into the league as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles. After spending 10 years there and two more with the St. Louis Rams, he became the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. The team went 9-23 under Shurmur.
He served as the offensive coordinator for the Eagles from 2013-15 and also won a game as the interim head coach. After joining the Vikings, Shurmur replaced Norv Turner on the headset when the coach unexpectedly retired midway through the 2016 season.