Sources: Sarkisian turns down Cards for Bama
The Arizona Cardinals offered Steve Sarkisian the offensive coordinator position, but he instead will return to Alabama to work on Nick Saban’s staff, sources told ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald still has not made a decision about whether to return for a 16th NFL season.
Crimson Tide QB Jalen Hurts, who is eligible to play elsewhere next season as a graduate transfer, visited the Terrapins on Friday and will do the same with the Hurricanes later this weekend.
It is not clear what role Sarkisian will have with the Crimson Tide.
Sarkisian was fired by the Atlanta Falcons following the regular season after a two-year run as their offensive coordinator.
Prior to joining Atlanta in February 2017, Sarkisian was an offensive analyst for the Crimson Tide. He took over as offensive coordinator for the team in the College Football Playoff title game after Lane Kiffin departed to become Florida Atlantic‘s head coach.
Sarkisian was previously the head coach at USC and Washington. Before joining the Falcons, his only NFL coaching experience came in 2004, when he was the Oakland Raiders‘ quarterbacks coach under then-head coach Norv Turner.