The Arizona Cardinals’ Mike LaFleur announcement has been made. The younger
brother of the Green Bay Packers head coach will be a head coach himself. LaFleur
takes over a young offense that features quarterback Kyler Murray (for now), receivers
Marvin Harrison Jr and Michael Wilson, and tight end Trey McBride.
The team had narrowed its search to LaFleur and Seattle Seahawks offensive
coordinator Klint Kubiak. The latter is expected to take over the head coaching vacancy
for the Las Vegas Raiders after the Super Bowl next Sunday. LaFleur represents a
bright young offensive mind who will be expected to increase the team’s scoring next
season.
It’s still to be seen if LaFleur will be helping the team’s first overall pick from the 2019
NFL Draft, but the signing of an offensive coordinator should mean they are willing to
roll with Murray next season. It would not make any sense to trade him now, with no heir
apparent, and a quarterback draft that appears one player deep in round one. Whoever
the quarterback is, how good a signing was this?
Nepotism Or Legit Success?
LaFleur is not someone who has had success at every one of his stops, unlike former
Denver Broncos OC Joe Lombardi. He was the passing game coordinator for the San
Francisco 49ers for four seasons (2017-2020), featuring a top 10 offense in passing
yards once and a top 10 team for passer rating just once. He was working with a
cocktail of Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Mullens, so it’s not all his fault.
Apparently, other teams saw it that way as well, because his time in the city by the bay
earned him his first offensive coordinator gig, with the New York Jets. His quarterback
here was far worse than the one he had in San Fran, headlined by top draft pick and
bust-label-wearing BYU signal caller Zach Wilson.
His two seasons in quarterback hell, LaFleur sported the league’s 28th-ranked scoring
offense (18.2 ppg) in 2021 and 29th-ranked in 2022 (17.4). He finished 26th and 25th,
respectively, in total yards for the season, as well. It is after the 2022 season that he is
given the offensive coordinator position for the Los Angeles Rams, under a good friend
of his brother, Sean McVay.
Success With The Rams Was A Roller Coaster
In LA, LaFleur gets the best quarterback room of his career, led by Super Bowl
Champion and future first ballot Hall of Famer, Matthew Stafford. LaFleur’s first season,
he has the league’s eighth-best scoring offense (23.8 ppg) and ranks seventh in the
league in total yards (6,108). The team takes a dip in the following season, ranking 20th
in scoring (21.6) and 15th in yards (5,633).
LaFleur finally has a breakout year in his third season calling the offense for the Rams,
scoring 30.5 points per game in 2025 (1st in the NFL) and racking up 6,709 yards (‘st).
It is this season that lands him job interviews and ultimately the head coaching spot in
Arizona.
Arizona Cardinals Mike LaFleur Hire Is Official
There are so many questions surrounding the hire of LaFleur. Was he a one-hit wonder
in the city of angels? Was his time with the Jets a better indicator of what he can do with
a young offense? Will he have Kyler Murray in 2026? Those questions don’t have
answers yet, but for the time being, it does look like the Cardinals hired a great young
candidate. Let’s see how he fills out his staff and does in year one.
