Former Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski takes NFL job, per report
By David Wasson
Published:
Unemployment didn’t last long for former Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, who has reportedly been hired by the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals to coach their defensive line.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that Kwiatkowski is set to join the staff of new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur, who was brought in to replace Jonathan Gannon after Arizona went 3-14 in 2025 and 15-36 over his three years in Glendale.
Kwiatkowski began his Texas tenure in 2021 when he joined Steve Sarkisian’s staff after a seven-year stint at Washington. Kwiatkowski also coached outside linebackers both at Texas and Washington, and also coached collegiately at Boise State, Montana State, Eastern Washington and Snow Junior College in a career that began in 1988.
Kwiatkowski was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2024 when Longhorns finished with the No. 3 scoring defense in FBS during a 13-3 season that ended in the CFP semifinals in a loss to eventual national champion Ohio State. But the Longhorns defense regressed in 2025 despite boasting several returning All-SEC starters, leading to Kwiatkowski’s dismissal and the return of Muschamp.
Texas will be hoping its defense sees an improvement after replacing Kwiatkowski with Muschamp. Texas is one of the early favorites to win the SEC Championship next season on Kalshi:
Kwiatkowski joins a Cardinals staff where LaFleur retained defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, who held the same title under Gannon last season. Arizona’s defense allowed the sixth-most yards in the NFL (over 357 per game) and fourth-most points in the league (nearly 29 per game) in 2025.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
