The Arizona Cardinals are turning the page with a fresh face at the helm, officially hiring Mike LaFleur as their new head coach. The move signals a clear shift in direction for a franchise looking to climb out of the NFC West basement and back into relevance.
LaFleur arrives in the desert after three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, where he helped engineer one of the league’s most dynamic attacks. Under Sean McVay’s leadership, LaFleur played a pivotal role in shaping an offense that led the NFL in scoring this past season and finished top-10 in points in two of his three years with the team. That’s no small feat in today’s NFL, where consistent offensive production is the gold standard-and often the fast track to head coaching consideration.
Now, he gets his shot in Arizona. It’s a five-year deal, and with it comes the opportunity-and the pressure-to rebuild a team that just wrapped up a 3-14 season, the worst record in the NFC West.
The Cardinals parted ways with Jonathan Gannon earlier this season after he failed to build on an 8-9 campaign in 2024. The regression was sharp, and the front office clearly felt it was time for a new voice.
General manager Monti Ossenfort didn’t mince words when introducing LaFleur. “He understands what winning football looks like and what it takes to achieve it,” Ossenfort said. “Mike is a strong communicator with a detail-oriented teaching style that has always gotten the best from his players.”
That’s a key point. LaFleur’s reputation as a communicator and teacher has followed him at every stop-from his time coordinating the Jets’ offense under Robert Saleh, to his role as passing game coordinator with Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers from 2017 to 2020. He’s learned under some of the brightest offensive minds in the game, and now he gets the chance to bring those lessons to a Cardinals team in desperate need of identity and direction.
And yes, the LaFleur name carries weight. Mike is the younger brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, but make no mistake-this hire is about more than bloodlines. It’s about pedigree, performance, and potential.
With LaFleur heading to Arizona and Klint Kubiak reportedly landing in Las Vegas, all of the NFL’s head coaching vacancies are officially filled. For the Cardinals, the hope is that they’ve found not just a coach, but a long-term leader who can help turn things around-and maybe even build something special in the Valley.
The road ahead won’t be easy. But if LaFleur can bring the same offensive ingenuity and player development he showed in L.A., Arizona might finally have the foundation it’s been searching for.