Arizona’s search for a new direction has led it straight into familiar territory within the NFC West. Just days after the Rams’ season ended one win shy of the Super Bowl, Los Angeles has watched its offensive coordinator depart for a division rival, with the Cardinals turning to Mike LaFleur as their next head coach on a five-year deal.
For Arizona, the hire represents a clear philosophical pivot. LaFleur arrives from an offensive background, replacing Jonathan Gannon, whose roots were on the defensive side of the ball. Over the past three seasons under Sean McVay, LaFleur helped shape one of the league’s most productive attacks, even if McVay retained play-calling duties. That partnership produced three consecutive playoff appearances, double-digit win totals each year and, most recently, an offense that led the NFL in both points and yards during the 2025 regular season.
LaFleur now becomes the latest — and youngest — branch of McVay’s expansive coaching tree, joining a list that already includes Zac Taylor, Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Brandon Staley and Liam Coen. At 38, he steps into his first head-coaching role with a résumé built on a decade of NFL experience across multiple stops, including Cleveland, Atlanta, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. His earlier stint as the Jets’ offensive coordinator was uneven, but his rebound with the Rams restored his standing and ultimately opened this door.
The challenge awaiting him in Arizona is steep. The Cardinals are coming off a 3–14 season and have not reached the playoffs since 2021, nor won a postseason game since their run to the NFC Championship Game a decade ago. Unlike the talent-rich roster he inherited in Los Angeles, LaFleur takes over a team with more questions than answers, particularly at quarterback. Kyler Murray’s future with the franchise appears uncertain, Jacoby Brissett is not viewed as a long-term solution, and the offense will likely need a reset built around younger pieces such as tight end Trey McBride and tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
Defensively, Arizona has issues to address as well. The Cardinals finished near the bottom of the league in points allowed, and veteran safety Budda Baker’s sizable cap hit makes his future unclear. Recent first-round investments offer both hope and frustration: Marvin Harrison Jr. has yet to fully break through, while Darius Robinson and Walter Nolen have struggled to stay on the field.
For all of that, the Cardinals are betting on LaFleur’s offensive acumen, adaptability and growth. He carries the imprint of the McVay–Kyle Shanahan coaching lineage that has reshaped offenses across the league, and his recent success in Los Angeles suggests lessons learned from earlier missteps. Now, he’ll be tasked not only with rebuilding a struggling franchise, but with doing so inside the league’s toughest neighborhood — facing McVay, Shanahan and his own brother, Matt LaFleur, along the way.
