The Arizona Cardinals are hiring former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as their next head coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro confirmed the agreement is for five years.
LaFleur, the brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, becomes the second head-coach hire in general manager Monti Ossenfort’s Cardinals tenure, which is entering its fourth season.
Mike LaFleur joins the franchise after spending the past three seasons as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, where he worked under head coach Sean McVay.
“I couldn’t be more fired up to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and am beyond grateful to Michael (Bidwill) and Monti (Ossenfort) for this opportunity,” LaFleur said in a Sunday news 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 Rams offense was a top-10 unit in yards per game twice in those three seasons, highlighted by its No. 1 ranking in 2025. The Rams were also first in scoring (30.5 points per game) and passing (268.1) during the regular season.
LaFleur may have been the coordinator in Los Angeles, but it was largely McVay calling the offensive shots.
That being said, LaFleur did get a chance to flex his play-calling abilities this year. Arizona got a front row seat to it. With McVay missing part of the week of prep with an illness, LaFleur helped direct a Rams offense to 530 total yards and six scores combined (three through the air, three on the ground) in the 45-17 win this past December.
Yes, the Cardinals were rolling out one of the worst defenses in the league, but it still marked a good example of what LaFleur can do with the headset on.
Before his most recent stop with the Rams, LaFleur served as the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator from 2021-22. Calling plays in the Big Apple under then-head coach Robert Saleh, New York was 26th (306.4) and 25th (318.2) in total offense across two seasons, with 2021 second overall pick Zach Wilson struggling to develop and veterans Joe Flacco and Mike White also seeing time under center.
Neither of LaFleur’s offenses in his Jets tenure scored more than 18.2 points per game and both were held under 100 rushing yards on average.
LaFleur also spent plenty of time working under San Francisco 49ers head coach and offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan. He took on the roles of passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2017-18 before focusing mainly on the passing game from 2019-20.
Other NFL stops include an offensive assistant role in Atlanta (2015-16) and an internship in Cleveland (2014).
The hiring comes after Arizona fired former head coach Jonathan Gannon a day after the 2025 regular season ended.
In his three seasons as Arizona’s head coach, Gannon posted a 15-36 record. He never got over the .500 hump, with his best season being an 8-9 finish.
Gannon has since taken the defensive coordinator job in Green Bay.
The move put Arizona on a head-coaching search that spanned 16 known candidates that the team expressed interest in interviewing.
The search extended to LaFleur, Denver Broncos DC Vance Jospeh, San Francisco 49ers DC Robert Saleh, Jacksonville Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Green Bay DC Jeff Hafley, Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brady, Los Angeles Chargers DC Jesse Minter, former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak, Kansas City Chiefs OC Matt Nagy, Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith, Houston Texans DC Matt Burke, New England Patriots passing game coordinator Thomas Brown and Miami Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver.
Arizona would end up meeting with all but Shula, Brown, Smith and Burke before whittling down the list to three reported finalists: Campanile, Morris and LaFleur.
The Cardinals also reached out to former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh shortly after his firing. Harbaugh wouldn’t last long on the open market, though, finalizing a deal with the New York Giants after meeting with their brass.
Saleh also took the Tennessee Titans’ head-coaching gig before meeting a second time with the Cardinals.
Brady, meanwhile, ended up taking the Bills’ vacancy on Tuesday, while Minter agreed to take the Ravens’ open HC job.
Hafley is set to take over as the Dolphins’ next head coach, and Smith is returning to college as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator.
The next steps for Arizona are filling out the rest of LaFleur’s coaching staff.
There’s also the looming quarterback decision to consider for the new lead man, with Kyler Murray’s future up in the air.
