Once the news broke about Klint Kubiak’s agreement to join the Raiders after the Super Bowl, one head coaching vacancy remained. That has not proven to be the case for very long. 
The Cardinals are working to hire Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as their new head coach, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. No deal has been finalized at this point, Schefter adds. The sides are nevertheless working toward a five-year agreement. A team announcement has since been made confirming the news.
LaFleur has long loomed as a strong candidate for this position. He was among the staffers who conducted an in-person interview with Arizona, a team which saw several others withdraw from consideration. Upon learning of Kubiak’s decision, the Cardinals were left with a trio of finalists. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, LaFleur, along with Raheem Morris and Anthony Weaver, were left waiting to hear from the team as of Sunday afternoon. The Cards have clearly gotten in touch with LaFleur in short order.
“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,” a statement from owner Michael Bidwill reads. “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.”
This will be LaFleur’s first opportunity to be a head coach at the college or NFL levels. He has thus become the latest member of the Sean McVay coaching tree to take charge of an NFL staff. The Cardinals had a HC with a defensive background for the past three years in the form of Jonathan Gannon. As Arizona hoped, his replacement will arrive with a track record of work on the offensive side of the ball.
LaFleur has spent the past three years as an offensive coordinator with the Rams. He did not call plays during that stretch, but he was the Jets’ playcaller in 2021 and ’22. The 38-year-old has also been an OC in college and a pass-game coordinator with the 49ers before. This hire will see him work for a third NFC West franchise. Coming off a year where the Cardinals were the division’s only team to fall short of the postseason, quick improvement on a number of fronts will be sought out.
Arizona won four games during Gannon’s first year in place alongside fellow 2023 hire Monti Ossenfort. That HC-GM combo oversaw an improvement to eight wins last year, something which suggested another step forward could be possible in 2025. Instead, an injury-riddled Cardinals team finished the campaign on a nine-game losing streak. That led to Gannon’s ‘Black Monday’ firing, with Ossenfort remaining in place.
The Cardinals have a number of staffing vacancies at the moment, and former offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is among the staffers who now need to be replaced. It will be interesting to see if LaFleur will call plays on offense upon taking over head coaching duties for the first time. In any event, his attention will turn toward building a staff.
For the Rams, meanwhile, the search for a new offensive coordinator will begin once again. McVay has tapped external candidates for the gig in previous years, but an obvious in-house candidate looms for 2026. Pass-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase was among the most popular staffers who did not receive a head coaching opportunity, and his stock has risen quickly in short order. It would come as little surprise if, after a search which satisfies the Rooney Rule, Scheelhaase wound up being promoted to OC.
The Cardinals’ QB situation is unsettled at the moment, with Kyler Murray uncertain to be retained. Sorting out his situation will be a top priority for LaFleur and Co as the offseason unfolds. Regardless of how the team proceeds on that front, Arizona will look for needed improvement on offense and a stronger showing defensively, something which could be sparked in large part by better injury luck.
LaFleur is now joined by his older brother Mike as an NFL head coach, although the two will not meet head-to-head during the 2026 regular season. With this hire now official, all 10 HC vacancies around the league have been filled.