The final head coaching slot in the NFL hiring cycle is in the books as the Arizona Cardinals have tabbed Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur to be their next head coach. If the name sounds familiar, it should because Mike is the brother of Green Bay Packers' head coach Matt LaFleur, making them the second active set of brothers to coach NFL teams after the Harbaughs.
Matt is nearly eight years older than Mike, which explains why he got an earlier start on his head coaching career than his younger brother. The common last name may lead some fans to assume this is a nepotism situation where Mike got his jobs because of his last name, but he does have a strong NFL track record that should give Arizona fans faith he can turn around their team despite playing in the league's toughest division.
Mike LaFleur has a wealth of strong experience to draw from as Cardinals' head coach
Like his brother Matt, the younger LaFleur is a member of the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, getting his first NFL job under Shanahan as an offensive intern with the Cleveland Browns in 2014. Both LaFleur brothers wound up on Shanahan's offensive staff in Atlanta, with Mike serving as an offensive assistant and following Shanahan to San Francisco to serve as his wide receivers coach.
That time in San Francisco allowed LaFleur to connect with Robert Saleh, who recruited him to move to New York to serve as an offensive coordinator for the first time when Saleh took over as the Jets' head coach. The Jets were a dysfunctional mess while LaFleur was there and he was saddled with one of the biggest draft busts in recent memory with Zach Wilson, but LaFleur showed promise as a play caller as New York's offense seemed to function pretty well when anybody but Wilson took snaps under center.
Owner Woody Johnson forced Saleh to fire LaFleur after the 2022 season but he was quickly scooped up by Sean McVay, who had coached with Shanahan and Matt in Washington. McVay, widely regarded as one of the league's foremost offensive innovators, continued to call plays for the Rams but LaFleur played a key role in game planning every week.
Despite having only two years of experience as a play caller, LaFleur has spent plenty of time in the NFL connected to the two most brilliant offensive minds outside of Andy Reid in Shanahan and McVay. That experience and innovation is something the Cardinals could use as they have some tough decisions to make, including whether or not to run it back with Kyler Murray or move on with a younger quarterback in the draft.
The Cardinals' job opening isn't the most desirable since there are clear quarterback questions and the challenge of contending against three teams that reached the Divisional Round this year (with Seattle currently in the Super Bowl), but the fact LaFleur wanted to take it on is a good sign that he believes he can build a winner in Glendale. Don't get fooled by his last name: LaFleur is definitely not a nepotism hire and has a good shot to build a winning foundation in Arizona.