The Arizona Cardinals have requested an interview with New York Giants outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen for their vacant defensive coordinator position.
The report, which comes courtesy of Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, comes three days after the Cardinals announced that they are hiring Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LeFleur to be their next head coach.
Bullen is one of the few coaches retained by new Giants’ head coach John Harbaugh, and served as the Giants’ interim defensive coordinator last year. He quickly made a name for himself as the Giants’ defense improved significantly over the final stretch of the season. Bullen is also credited with helping Brian Burns have a career year in 2025, racking up 16.5 sacks in a DPOY-caliber performance.
He earned praise from both Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Burns said, when asked about Thibodeaux ‘flipping a switch’ in 2024, “I can’t really put a finger on when it happened. I know he made a decision to make that switch. I know (outside linebackers) Coach Bullen had – I call him Charlie, only I can call him that. Charlie had a big influence on that switch with KT and I’m proud of what he’s been doing so far.”
“Charlie Bullen has been a great asset to me and the rest of the guys in the room,” Thibodeaux said.
The Cardinals were one of the last two teams to hire a head coach and are only just beginning to fill out their coaching staff. We’ve suspected for a while that Bullen would get an opportunity to be a full-time defensive coordinator in the NFL, and the Dallas Cowboys also expressed interest before going elsewhere.
While this is a great opportunity for Bullen, the Giants wouldn’t be heartbroken for him to return and help the outside linebackers continue to improve.
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