Mike LaFleur’s first season in Arizona has already turned into a test of patience.
Nine weeks into the job, the Cardinals have had their share of rough stretches and ugly losses, and while the roster and front office deserve blame too, the head coach is part of the problem. The biggest concern is that the offense hasn’t looked anything like the kind of inventive, aggressive system people associate with the coaching branches of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.
That’s a sharp contrast to what other play callers from that tree have been doing around the league. Liam Coen with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Klint Kubiak with the Las Vegas Raiders, and Mike’s brother, Matt LaFleur, with the Green Bay Packers have all shown the kind of play-calling Cardinals fans hoped to see in Arizona.
Instead, the Cardinals have struggled badly in the red zone. After Week 9, they sit last in red-zone TD percentage at 44%. Arizona’s personnel issues are real, but the offense still has players with the tools to be better there, including tight end Trey McBride, who has the traits to be a strong red-zone target.
LaFleur’s track record only adds to the concern. Before arriving in Arizona, he called plays for the New York Jets from 2021-22. His biggest issue there was his inability to develop quarterback Zach Wilson, who came into the league in 2021 with plenty of promise after starring at BYU.
That part of LaFleur’s resume is the one that should worry Cardinals fans most. If Arizona is hoping to land a quarterback from next year’s class, what happened with Wilson could stand out as a major warning sign.
It would be easy to think a coach would have to do something extreme to get fired after one season, but the NFL has gone down that road before - and this franchise has done it too. Eight years ago, the Cardinals moved on from Steve Wilks after just one year.
Wilks came in after serving as defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, whose defense had been one of the league’s better units. Even with that reputation, one bad season was enough for Arizona to make a change.
The Cardinals’ offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, also has a one-and-done head coaching example on his résumé. He was hired by the Denver Broncos in 2022 but didn’t even finish that first season before getting fired.
And it’s not as if this decade has been short on quick exits. Eight head coaches have been let go after only one season, including Pete Carroll after his 2025 stint with the Las Vegas Raiders and Urban Meyer after coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.
So if Arizona decided to make a move after one year with LaFleur, it wouldn’t be shocking by NFL standards.
The other factor is the quality of the next coaching pool. There are plenty of appealing names out there, from proven head coaches to defensive specialists to offensive minds.
Mike Tomlin could be one possibility. Cardinals fans may still remember the Pittsburgh Steelers beating Arizona in Super Bowl 43, but Tomlin never had a losing season in Pittsburgh and reached the postseason 13 times in 19 years with the Steelers.
Sean McDermott is another name that would draw real interest. He spent eight years with the Buffalo Bills and helped establish a winning culture while developing Josh Allen.
If Arizona wants a defensive coordinator, Brian Flores stands out after what he’s done with the Minnesota Vikings defense this year. Anthony Campanile is also in the mix; the Cardinals interviewed him last year before hiring LaFleur.
On the offensive side, there are more options worth watching, including Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Each brings a different style and a different way to build a fast, dangerous offense.
LaFleur still has a chance to prove he can be the right answer. There have been flashes. But the inconsistency, combined with the number of strong candidates available, could leave Arizona looking elsewhere.
For now, the Cardinals’ coaching future remains unsettled. Time will tell where it goes from here.
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