Fitzgerald Cecilio

The Arizona Cardinals have hired Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians as their new head coach, becoming the last of the eight NFL teams to fill their head coaching vacancy.

The Cardinals said Arians inked a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth year.

"I never thought it was going to come," said Arians, who replaced Ken Whisenhunt. "I appreciate it so much. I will give it every single thing I have. The passion and energy I bring to this is something I love to do.

"The more I got to meet with everyone here, the more I got excited for the opportunity," Arians added. "I knew it was the right fit for me."

Arians filled in for coach Chuck Pagano, who missed most of the season to undergo leukemia treatment, leading the Colts to a 9-3 record while helping quarterback Andrew Luck develop into a rookie of the year candidate.

Under Arians, Indianapolis had the NFL's 10th-ranked offense with rookies playing at quarterback, running back, tight end and wide receiver and despite having a banged-up offensive line.

"I have a pretty good job sitting back in Indianapolis," Arians told the Arizona Republic. "Do I want to be a head coach? Definitely. But just to be one? No."

Arians told the newspaper that he had a pretty good feeling about the Cardinals but he needs to find a good quarterback like the Colts' Luck and Ben Roethlisberger when he was offensive coordinator of the Steelers.

Presently, the Cardinals have Kevin Kolb, John Skelton and Ryan Lindley as quarterbacks. The three combined to throw 10 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions and none of them completed 60 percent of their passes.

Cardinals Hire Bruce Arians as Head Coach