Red Rain Blog for Arizona Cardinals Fans

Could Mike LaFleur bring WR Brandon Aiyuk back home to Arizona or might we see Deebo Samuel in Cardinal Red?                                             All-Pro Reels Photography By Walter Mitchell When the 49ers drafted WR Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State with the #25 pick in the 1st round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Mike LaFleur was the 49ers' passing game coordinator.  As a rookie Aiyuk caught 60 passes for 748 yards and 5 TDs, for an 80.1 PFF grade.  Career Stats: * 2020 --- 748 yards, 5 TDs, 80.1 * 2021 --- 826 yards, 5 TDs, 75.9  * 2022 --- 1,015 yards, 8 TDs, 79.5 * 2023 --- 1,352 yards, 17.9, 7 TDs, 91.7 * 2024 --- 374 yards, 15.0, 0 TDs, 74.6 Per Wikipedia: Brandon Aiyuk - Wikipedia 2024 season [ edit ] On August 30, 2024, Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the 49ers. [ 45 ]  During Week 5 against the Cardinals, he had eight re...

 Bidwill's Hiring of Mike LaFleur smacks of indecision and Anti-Climax, yet could it be a home run anyway?                                         Justin Edmonds/Getty Images By Walter Mitchell Let's be clear, the decision to hire Mike LaFleur was Michael Bidwill's. Monti Ossenfort screwed up the Jonathan Gannon hire, so this time Bidwill was going to do things his way, once again take his own sweet time and this time take his turn. And when Michael Bidwill does things his way with regard to head coaching searches, it's a long, confusing and tedious process that typically winds up with the Cardinals being the last team left at the table. Bidwill relishes the hiring process so keenly where for weeks it gives him something to do and he can walk around being the "Big Cheese." That's one reason why he likes to milk it for as long as he can. the other reason is his perpetual indecisi...

Mike LaFleur's Candidacy for Cardinals' Head Coach is Awkward and Complicated By Walter Mitchell During the 2026 cycle of new NFL head coaching hires, the candidate pool has been grouped as such: Seasoned Veterans: * John Harbaugh * Kevin Stefanski * Mike McDermott* (taking a year off) * Mike McCarthy * Raheem Morris * Vance Joseph Play-Callers coming off recently noteworthy seasons: * Robert Saleh * Klint Kubiak * Jesse Minter * Joe Brady * Todd Monken * Anthony Campanile * Thomas Brown * Chris Shula * Anthony Weaver Bright Coordinators and Assistants who have not been calling plays: * Mike LaFleur * Davis Webb * Jim Leonhard * Grant Udinski What's awkward and complicated about Mike LaFleur as a candidate for the Cardinals. 1. When Sean McVay hired Mike LaFleur to be his OC in 2023, while Kyle Hanahan was happy to see LaFleur land on his feet after his difficult two-years as OC of the Jets, Shanahan was not too keen about McVay being able to, in Shanny's own words ...

  Cardinals should offer Klint Kubiak a 5-year $75M contract photo from the Topeka Capital-Journal By Walter Mitchell If the Arizona Cardinals want to tip the balance of power in the NFC West, then they should offer rising superstar offensive play-caller Klint Kubiak a 5-year $75M contract. That kind of a contract offer would put the Seattle Seahawks in some kind of pickle. If they were to match the Cardinals' offer, then suddenly Klint Kubiak would be making $5.5M more a year than head coach Mike Macdonald who is making $9.5M a year.  To be fair to Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks would likely have to increase his salary to $17 - $19M a year. That would mean that after two superb seasons as an NFL head coach, Macdonald would be making what the elite head coaches like Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton are making.   Would those figures be too much too soon? Maybe. But, maybe not, given the fact that Macdonald has turned the NFC West on its ear in about as quickly as...