Why Cardinals Should Hire Bobby Slowik

The Houston Texans made a questionable decision to fire offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik in just his second season calling plays, and the 37-year-old disciple of Kyle Shanahan should be a hot commodity.
The Arizona Cardinals should be amongst those teams.
The Cardinals' offense was anything but consistent last season and it showed up with their passing game more than any other area. Kyler Murray was a liability late in the year after taking care of the ball to start the season. By the end of 2024, he was entirely untrustworthy.
It’s not for a lack of weapons, either. Between Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride, former fourth overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr, rising receiver Michael Wilson, and a cast running backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield, there are no excuses for Murray to struggle like he did.
That’s where Slowik comes into play.
Slowik joined the San Francisco 49ers staff in 2017 and remained with the team until 2023 when he followed his peer, DeMeco Ryans, to Houston as the latter became their head coach. Slowik was promoted to offensive coordinator and guided quarterback CJ Stroud to the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Year two didn’t go according to plan in Houston, as Stroud struggled with consistency and the wide receiver corps struggled with injuries all year long. Their down season led to Houston’s decision to fire Slowik despite just two seasons calling plays.
Slowik appears to be much more of a scapegoat than the true problem with the offense, and he should have little problem finding a new job.
Arizona is a great potential landing spot for him.
Drew Petzing remains the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator but has received head coaching interviews as recently as this offseason. Petzing’s time in the desert may be limited for one reason or another, so Arizona would be wisest to have his eventual replacement for when that time eventually arrives.
Slowik, who now has two years of experience as a play caller, could be the answer for that, but he’s also a good candidate to help get Murray back on track. It wasn’t long ago that the former top overall pick was among the league’s better passers. One would think with some new coaching that he could get back to that point.
Perhaps a new voice and a new direction for offense is what the Cardinals need down the road, but until then they can bring in Slowik to work closely with Murray and figure out what can and can’t be fixed with his current play.
After all, the Cardinals are still tied to Murray for a while with his contract – so the best thing they could do is make the most out of the investment.
Although Slowik has never had the official tag of being a team’s quarterbacks coach, his understanding of the passing game and his work with Stroud and previously Brock Purdy in San Francisco should be enough to warrant a dice roll there.
If Slowik were willing to come to Arizona and restart his career in terms of reestablishing his name, the Cardinals should be all over it.