The Arizona Cardinals are taking a pivotal piece away from a division foe. The NFC West team is set to hire Mike LaFleur as the next head coach.
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LaFleur, the 38-year-old younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, has spent the last three seasons as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams. He has worked directly under head coach/play-caller Sean McVay while guiding the offense led by quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Welcome to the Arizona Cardinals, Coach LaFleur. pic.twitter.com/1qaDLMOUkw
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) February 1, 2026
The Rams posted top-10 offenses in two of these seasons. The 2025 season, in particular, saw the team finish first in points and first in yards gained. Stafford played at an MVP level while leading the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua posted an NFL-best 129 receptions. He posted 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns. Receiver Davante Adams fell short of 1,000 yards (789), but he led the league with 14 receiving touchdowns.
Prior to joining the Rams as offensive coordinator, LaFleur spent two seasons in the same role with the Jets. He also spent four seasons working under Kyle Shanahan as the 49ers passing game coordinator.
"I couldn't be more fired up to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and am beyond grateful to Michael (Bidwill, owner) and Monti (Ossenfort, general manager) for this opportunity," LaFleur said in a press release.
"Having competed against them in the NFC so many times in recent years, I know the type of talent and toughness the team has and cannot wait to get to Arizona to hit the ground running."
The situation in Arizona is markedly different than the one in Los Angeles. The talent level on offense is lacking compared to LaFleur's former gig, and it will be up to him to figure out the quarterback position and the receiving corps.
Kyler Murray missed most of last season due to an injury and losing his job. Jacoby Brissett played well in relief while throwing for 23 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, but he went 1-11 as a starter.
The other side of the ball contributed to the losses. The Cardinals ranked 29th in yards allowed while giving up 37 or more points in six different games.
The Cardinals have made the playoffs four times since losing to the Steelers in Super Bowl 43, which closed out the 2008 season. They lost in the divisional round in 2009, lost in the wild-card round in 2014, lost in the NFC championship in 2015, and lost in the wild-card round in 2021.
