The Arizona Cardinals named Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks their new head coach Monday, replacing the retired Bruce Arians.
Wilks signed a four-year contract with a team option for the fifth year, according to the Cardinals' team website. He'll be introduced at a press conference at noon Tuesday.
But before Tuesday, and before he mans the sideline at University of Phoenix Stadium, let's see who Wilks is and what made him an attractive candidate to the Cardinals.
Wilks was only Carolina's defensive coordinator for one season, leading them to a seventh-place finish in total defense (11th in points allowed).
Prior to that, he was the team's defensive backs coach since 2012, becoming an assistant head coach, as well, in 2014.
He's coached defensive backs for the then-San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears, too.
According to the Cardinals' website, Wilks also interviewed for head coaching vacancies with the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans this offseason.
Wilks has only been a head coach one time before, at Savannah State University in 1999. Still, the Cardinals saw the success Wilks had with Carolina and decided he was the man for the job.
At least one former player under Wilks believes in his coaching: Josh Norman, who broke out as a star cornerback for the Panthers in 2015, told Arizona's Patrick Peterson via Twitter that Wilks will take him to another level of play.
@P2 dude you think your game on a High level now? Your abt to go #Supersonic!SegaGenesis!🤯😩
— *Joshua R. Norman (@J_No24) January 22, 2018
Wilks, a Charlotte, N.C. native, played football at Appalachian State, then played one season in the Arena Football League for the Charlotte Rage.
