The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly planning to part ways with first-year head coach Steve Wilks -- and they might already have his replacement in mind.
ProFootballTalk's Peter King has reported that Mike McCarthy, who was fired by as Green Bay Packers head coach hours after the Packers lost to the Cardinals three weeks ago, would be interested in the Cardinals' head coaching position.
"The Mike McCarthy stuff out there is interesting. I hear he likes Arizona and would be interested in exploring the job. I heard the Cardinals have interest as well, so we’ll see, assuming Steve Wilks is one-and-done there," King wrote Monday.
McCarthy had been the Packers' head coach since 2006. He guided them to a 125-77-2 record and a Super Bowl XLV championship. But reports of a strained relationship between McCarthy and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, along with the Packers' sub-.500 record, suggested McCarthy's days in Green Bay were numbered.
The Cardinals could also be interested in Todd Bowles, the current New York Jets head coach who served as the Cardinals' defensive coordinator from 2013-14, if Bowles is fired by the Jets at the end of the season.
The Cardinals are just 3-12 in Wilks' first season as head coach.
"As I told you guys before, I really don’t listen to the outside noise," Wilks said after Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. "My head is down, I’m working, trying to do everything I can to win a football game and get these players and coaches moving in the right direction.
Larry Fitzgerald has expressed support for retaining Wilks.
"Obviously we all understand it’s a results business. But that doesn’t change the human element for me," he said. "He treats us well. I just wish we could play better for him."
The Cardinals will wrap up their season at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
