After a drawn-out coaching search that stretched deep into the offseason, the Arizona Cardinals have finally made their move. According to reports, Arizona plans to hire Mike LaFleur as its next head coach-a decision that brings the franchise a fresh offensive mind with deep roots in one of the NFL’s most respected coaching trees.
LaFleur, the younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, has built a résumé that reads like a tour through the modern NFL’s most innovative offenses. He got his start in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns as an offensive intern under then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
That staff also included Mike McDaniel, now head coach of the Miami Dolphins. From the very beginning, LaFleur was surrounded by some of the sharpest minds in the game, and it shows in how his career has unfolded.
In 2015, LaFleur followed Shanahan to Atlanta, where he served as an offensive assistant. That was the only time he worked on the same staff as his brother Matt, but it was another formative stop. McDaniel was there too, and the trio played key roles in shaping an offense that would soon take the league by storm.
LaFleur’s next major step came in San Francisco, where he joined Shanahan’s staff with the 49ers from 2017 to 2020. He served as the passing game coordinator and also coached wide receivers during his first two seasons.
Those years in the Bay Area were pivotal-not just for LaFleur’s development, but for his reputation around the league. Working alongside Robert Saleh, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator at the time, LaFleur helped build an offense that emphasized creativity, motion, and quarterback-friendly concepts.
That connection with Saleh paid off in 2021, when LaFleur was hired as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets. He called plays for two seasons in New York, overseeing a young and evolving offense.
While the Jets struggled to find consistency at quarterback, LaFleur’s scheme showed flashes of promise. Still, after the 2022 season, the Jets made a change, bringing in Nathaniel Hackett and parting ways with LaFleur.
But LaFleur didn’t stay unemployed for long. He landed with Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams, joining as the offensive coordinator in a non-play-calling role. Over the past three seasons, he’s worked closely with McVay, continuing to refine his offensive philosophy in one of the league’s most detailed and demanding systems.
Now, he gets his shot to lead a team of his own.
Arizona’s coaching search had narrowed in recent weeks, with LaFleur emerging as one of the finalists alongside Klint Kubiak, Raheem Morris, and Anthony Weaver. Kubiak, the Seahawks offensive coordinator, reportedly committed to the Raiders over the weekend, clearing a path for LaFleur to step into the spotlight in the desert. Anthony Campanile, the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator and a former assistant under LaFleur in 2024, had also been in the mix before withdrawing his name from consideration.
This hire sets up an intriguing storyline for the future: a potential postseason showdown between the LaFleur brothers. The Cardinals and Packers won’t meet in the 2026 regular season, but if both teams make playoff runs, we could see a sibling chess match on the biggest stage.
For now, the Cardinals are betting on Mike LaFleur’s vision, experience, and pedigree to help turn the page. After years of instability, Arizona is hoping that the next chapter begins with a coach who’s been forged in the fire of some of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses-and who’s ready to build one of his own.