It seems that rumors of Steve Sarkisian potentially joining Kliff Kingsbury's coaching staff with the Arizona Cardinals have been quelled.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Sarkisian is no longer expected to become the Cardinals' offensive coordinator.
Arizona has spoken to a few other candidates, with former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo among them.
Sarkisian spent the last two years as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, but he was relieved of his duties following this season after a disappointing campaign all around in Atlanta.
While the Falcons ranked sixth in total offense this past season and eighth last year, they were simply not the same offensive unit that they were during Kyle Shanahan's two seasons as play-caller in 2015 and 2016.
In Shanahan's final year in Atlanta before becoming head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, the Falcons averaged 33.8 points per game. That number dipped all the way to 22.1 in Sarkisian's first season with the Falcons, and in 2018, Atlanta posted 25.9 points per game.
So, while the Falcons were still accumulating yards under Sarkisian's watch, they had some difficulty finishing off drives and punching the ball into the end zone.
Sarkisian had just one NFL job before arriving in Atlanta in 2017, briefly serving as the Oakland Raiders' quarterbacks coach all the way back in 2004. Otherwise, all of his experience has come on the collegiate level, as he served as head coach for Washington from 2009 through 2013 and for USC from 2014 through 2015.
He also served as an offensive coordinator under Nick Saban in Alabama in 2016.
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