Mike LaFleur's Candidacy for Cardinals' Head Coach is Awkward and Complicated
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 "steal" intel on the 49ers' offense. One can imagine then what McVay and Shanahan will feel if Mike LaFleur is hired by the NFC West rival Cardinals.
2. Certainly, the Cardinals should be able to benefit from learning the nuances of McVay's and Shanahan's tricks of the trade, however, those offenses are so nuanced that they take a great deal of time to incorporate and install.
Note: The offense that Josh McDaniels with Thomas Brown as QB mentor and passing game coordinator is much easier to install while the same time being far more QB friendly. And given Thomas Brown's success in helping to develop Bryce Young, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, he has a stronger resume than Mike LaFleur's.
3. Over the course of McVay's and Shanahan's tenures, we have seen only one draft pick adapt well to running their brand of high-detail, multi-looks offense. That one QB was not Trey Lance, he was Brock Purdy, as "Mr. Irrelevant" no less.
4. This may sound crazy at first, but the only young QB whom Sean McVay has ever developed was Kirk Cousins, and that was ten years ago when McVay was the OC in Washington.
5. In 2023, Mike LaFleur's hiring as OC (of the non-play-caller variety) with the Rams was good in the sense that LaFleur could learn from McVay, but it was not ideal if he was trying to develop a head coaching resume.
6. What's perplexing about this is that over the past three years, LaFleur and his agent have not been able to land him a play-calling OC role with another team, despite the large head coaching turnover. Was it for LaFleur's lack of desire in favor of sticking with his current role? Or was it for lack of demand and interest from other teams?
7. The fact remains that Mike LaFleur has yet to prove his value as an NFL offensive play caller.
8. The other concerning fact is that neither of the two young draft picks at QB whom he has worked with (C.J. Beathard SF R3 2017 and Zach Wilson NYJ R1 2021) have developed into productive full-time starters. LaFleur was no longer on the 49ers' staff when Brock Purdy was drafted.
Career numbers:
* C.J. Beathard: 3-10 as starter, 350/563, 60.4%, 3,886 yards, 19 TD, 14 int., 82.1 RTG
* Zach Wilson: 12-21 as a starter, 572/1,004, 57.0%, 23 TDs, 25 int, 73.1 RTG
The question is --- do the Cardinals believe Mike LaFleur is their most competent option to pick the QBOF?
9. What kind of interest has Mike LaFleur received for open OC jobs this off-season? Any?
10, What kind of interest has Mike LaFleur received for open HC jobs? He interviewed once with the Raiders and twice with the Cardinals. Why didn't he attract more interest than that? Why didn't the Raiders reach out to him for a second interview? Why were the Raiders and Tom Brady clearly more enamored with Davis Webb and of course Klint Kubiak?
What could have happened as to why the Cardinals and Mike LaFleur were unable to come to terms after his second visit?
1. Perhaps the Cardinals already wanted to meet again with LaFleur but also wanted to be able to maintain their interest in Klint Kubiak, just the way they have with the other candidates they have interviewed twice in Anthony Campanile, Raheem Morris and Anthony Weaver.
2. Perhaps Mike LaFleur was not able to get the kind of control he wanted. Let's not forget that his brother Matt is an NFL head coach. One could easily imagine that Matt advised Mike not to take the job if the Cardinals wouldn't give him a leading role in staff hirings and personnel decisions. I and a couple of other fans have been speculating that MB and MO would like to retain Nick Rallis as DC (and cannot understand why). Mike LaFleur saw how lifeless and inept the Cardinals' defense was versus the Rams --- twice. Why then would he be willing to accept the Cardinals' status quo at DC?
3. Matt probably had good advice as to what the Cardinals should do about Kyler Murray and the QB situation. Perhaps Matt would love to see Mike land Malik Willis as a free agent. What if MB and MO prefer Jacoby Brissett for at least another year while they figure out the right QB to draft or trade for. You see, this is where things can get very complicated. And if you think about it, when has MB ever given any of his HC hires full autonomy when it comes to personnel? Not since BA, right? And Bidwill always seems to have a handful or more of coaches he wants the new HC to retain.
Note: any coach will tell you --- hire your own guys.
4. Fans who view Mike LaFleur as their dream candidate are worried that LaFleur, due to the Cardinals' interest in interviewing Klint Kubiak, is going to withdraw his name the way Anthony Campanile did. The big difference is the Jaguars gave Campanile a few million more reasons to stick with them. Could the Rams do that for Mike LaFleur? Likely not, however, given that they probably want to promote QB coach and passing game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase to OC so that they can only lose him to HC jobs.
5.The Rams, with two 1st round picks this year are looking to draft a successor to Matthew Stafford. Whom would they value more in. that process, Mike LaFleur or Nathan Scheelhaase? Which begs the question, would Nathan Scheelhouse be a better fit for the Cardinals given the huge decisions forthcoming about the QBOF?
Conclusion:
I understand that one of the main reasons why Cardinals' fans are enamored with Mike LaFleur has to do with the success rate for Sean McVay's former OCs turned head coaches. But the most recent one, Liam Coen. was smart enough to go take a play-calling OC job at Tampa Bay, which then was a springboard and momentous boost to his head coaching resume.
This is what I believe Mike LaFleur should do, go get a play-calling OC job. LaFleur's two years as OC of the Jets are still painful to recall for those who watched their games. There were occasions when Zach Wilson threw passes directly to zone defenders with no Jet receiver anywhere near the zone. And in two years, Zach Wilson's play remained erratic and highly uncomfortable to watch. It got so dicey that Mike LaFleur demoted him to QB3 and started Chris Streveler (remember him?) ahead of Wilson.
For example:
Obviously, Mike LaFleur never coached Zach Wilson to make this kind of inexcusable mistake. But it's difficult for fans, pundits, GM and NFL coaches to "unsee" plays like this. And NFL execs know that Zach Wilson was the QB whom Mike LaFleur urged the Jets to take at pick #2 in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The point is --- we don't really know whether Mike LaFleur, on his own, can be a superb play caller.
We also don't know whether he can effectively identify and develop a gifted young QB?
What we do know is that Mike LaFleur, given all that he's learned from Shanahan and McVay would seem to have the potential to become a good play-calling OC. But, in all frankness, at this point in his career, he does not have a legitimate NFL head coaching resume. And there still are a number of other candidates who do.
Maybe the real reason that Mike is on Sean's staff-Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur are very close friends. McVay has referred to LaFleur as "one of my closest friends in life" and even a "big brother". NepoBaby!
ReplyDeleteIf my best friend had a chance at a job for the worst owner in an industry I would tell him your young and will have a better opportunities in the future.
DeleteAgree but if that friend was coaching a division team and I thought it would take a long time for him to maybe turn around or even make that foe competitive...? At least he's be making more $$ so they could travel together with family.
DeleteWalt, I have great respect for your opinions, but I have some counter-points here. But first, you had me convinced that we should hire Coach Camp,. So I’m not just a contrarian.
ReplyDeleteTo begin, I think we should give zero weight to the potential backlash from McVey and Shanahan. Are we supposed to be afraid to hire a coach because of the big bad bullies? Teams routinely pick up someone from another opponent’s practice squad to gain Intel. Teams routinely hire coaches from respected rivals. I don’t think this is a legitimate point. The Cardinals should not be spineless cowards who are afraid to hire from a team within their division. Also, I find it hard to believe that our opponents will try even harder to beat us. They’re already doing their best to win.
Next; I don’t have a strong preference between Kubiak and LaFleur, but I believe you’re holding them to different standards. You mention Lafleur’s lack of success as a playcaller with the Jets. However, it’’s possible he deserves a pass because he worked with a historically, bad quarterback. (What has Wilson done since?) But in any event, Kubiak did not have much success in his first few stints as OC. In fact, he’s spoken about how he learned and grew from his past failures. Why can’t the same be true of Lafleur? Also, Kubiak’s greatest success came in his one year with Darnold, but Darnold was a cast-off until his career was resurrected under the coaching and guidance of Kevin O’Connell, who was a former McVey OC with no playcalling experience. So, isn’t it possible that Kubiak is simply the beneficiary of someone else’s rehabilitation project? And, as to Thomas Brown, I know he won some survey during his year in Carolina (which is a popularity contest that’s probably about as meaningful as someone making the pro bowl after the five people ahead of them bowed out), but he coached Bryce Young to a historically bad rookie year. Finally, I believe it’s unfair to criticize Lafleur for not having other teams pursuing him as an OC this year. You know very well that another team can’t hire him as an OC without Rams’ permission unless it’s a promotion. For all we know, other teams have tried and the Rams said no.
If I am McVay I am tied to Matthew year to year, if Stafford retires and walks away from a lot of $ then after starting a family this past rear as Sean did, maybe I would take a year off myself.
ReplyDeleteLafleur is kind of like the QB with 1-2 years in college and has the measurable 6-2 210 lbs with a strong arm. He has had some success offensively but might need a year or two to develop. In essence hes a projection. We see traits and hes part of a successful franchise.But is there concrete proof of execution like Campanille or a McDermott? Walter makes some legitimate points. As Cardinals fans we really need to get it right this time.
ReplyDeleteMy sediments exactly. Camp was my first choice and Kubiak is my second choice. If Kubiak says thanks but no thanks, I would not saddle myself to a guy like LaFleur for the next 3 seasons and most likely end up in the same boat we're in now. There is a good chance this team will have another top 3 pick in 2027 with a much better QB class. Everything this team does needs to center around that future. Making impatient decisions based on emotion will only dig the hole deeper IMO.
ReplyDeleteLaFluer is a risky hire but let's face it, he'l accept the worst job available this cycle if he doesn't come to his senses and stay in LA. H
ReplyDeleteHowever, Lafluer and Raheem Moore served as the offensive and defensive coordinators for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023, following an earlier stint together as assistants with the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2016. They have a professional bond and similar tactical philosophies. This would be a surprisingly good and better than imagined staff.
I'm starting to think we are going to end up with Vance Joseph or Morris as our head coach and Nagy as the OC. Kubiak isn't coming although I liked your idea of what to offer him Walt. By the time a decision gets made on a head coach, who is left for his staff. They bring in Joseph or Morris, then Bidwill can keep Rallis as his DC since they seem to like him. Im not saying this is what I want or what I'd do. Just have a feeling that this is what we will settle on. Maybe it works. More likely we are having a discussion in a couple of years of who they should hire as HC and GM again. Maybe Mikey will learn that it's better to pay for a good coach than to go cheap and pay 3 head coaches at the same time after firing 2 cheaper ones.
ReplyDeleteStay tuned, Adam. Having looked deeper into Anthony Weaver's credential, I think he is perfect in a number of ways for what the Cardinals players need. He's got the charismatic gravitas we need and outstanding articulation of players abilities and opponents' personnel. Plus, as a former assistant HC and DL coach in BAL who worked with Mike Macdonald, he is a huge proponent of Macdonald's "Big Nickel" which has been frustrating McVay and Shanahan. I urge everyone to go listen to Anthony Weaver's press conferences. I think you will react to them as I have.
DeleteA Anthony Weaver HC and a Darrell Bevell OC would be a better staff than last season
DeleteGood call Walter. Watching the press conference. I would be all for Weaver now. Story about remaining calm with umbilical cord wrapped around his kids neck during childbirth is crazy. Sounds like he will make players be accountable.
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