The Arizona Cardinals have made a bold move in their coaching search, hiring Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as their new head coach. The team announced the five-year contract on Sunday, bringing in a familiar NFC West face to lead the franchise forward after a disappointing season.
Pivoting after key interviews
Arizona Cardinals' search intensified following Jonathan Gannon's firing on January 5. The Cardinals interviewed several candidates, including a late Saturday night meeting with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. However, according to reports, Kubiak is expected to land the Las Vegas Raiders job post-Super Bowl, prompting Arizona to shift focus back to Mike LaFleur.
The 38-year-old LaFleur stood out during a thorough process. He first met virtually with the team early on, then spent two days in Arizona last week for in-person interviews, including dinners with executives.
Strong endorsements from Arizona Cardinals leadership
Owner Michael Bidwill praised Mike LaFleur's qualities in a statement. "We had the opportunity to speak with an outstanding group of candidates during this very thorough process and gathered tremendous insight from each of them," Bidwill said.
“At the end of that process, it was clear that Mike LaFleur possesses all the traits necessary to lead this team to success as its head coach. He is highly intelligent with an exceptionally sharp, creative football mind. Mike is also a dynamic and innovative leader and exactly the type of person we were looking for to guide our team as its head coach.”
General manager Monti Ossenfort echoed the excitement. "In his career, Mike has been around some of the best and brightest coaches in football and has been a key contributor to highly successful teams," Ossenfort said.
"He understands what winning football looks like and what it takes to achieve it. Mike is a strong communicator with a detail-oriented teaching style that has always gotten the best from his players, and we are incredibly excited for him to bring that to the Cardinals."
Mike LaFleur's background
Mike LaFleur brings solid credentials, having served as Rams OC for three seasons under Sean McVay and as Jets OC from 2021-2022. While he didn't call plays in Los Angeles, where the offense topped the league in points, yards, and more under McVay, he contributed to high-powered units. His NFC West experience includes four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2020. Notably, he is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
This marks the sixth consecutive Cardinals head coach without prior full-time NFL head coaching experience, continuing a trend of betting on rising assistants.