TEMPE, Ariz. — Mike LaFleur will follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur, and call offensive plays while handling the duties as the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
LaFleur made the announcement Tuesday during his introductory news conference at the Cardinals’ headquarters in Tempe, Arizona.
Who will run the plays that LaFleur calls, however, is still to be determined.
LaFleur replaced Jonathan Gannon, who was fired on Jan. 5 after going 3-14 this season. He said he talked with quarterback Kyler Murray on Sunday and described their conversation as “good,” though he said the conversations regarding Murray and the rest of the roster were to begin in earnest Tuesday afternoon.
While he didn’t directly address Murray’s future with the franchise, LaFleur said facing Murray during the five years they were both in NFC West together was “never fun.”
“I have a lot of respect for him as a player,” LaFleur said. “Having the five years having to go against him, a lot of respect for him as a player and he was never a fun challenge to go against.”
Murray, who has already been guaranteed $39.8 million for 2026, and his backup, Jacoby Brissett, are both under contract for 2026. However, with Murray due another $17 million guaranteed for 2027 on the fifth day of the league year in March, Arizona will need to decide by then if Murray is the long-term quarterback as he enters his eighth season with just one playoff appearance.
Working with an offensive-minded coach was music to the ears of wide receiver Michael Wilson, who was in attendance Tuesday. As part of a talented pass-catching trio that includes Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Trey McBride, Wilson said he was “excited to get with an offensive guy who hopefully can maximize all of our skill sets.”
The last time LaFleur called plays was during the 2021 and 2022 seasons when he was the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator (he did not call the plays for the Rams despite being their offensive coordinator the past three seasons). New York went 11-23 during his two seasons, which contributed to LaFleur being fired, but the Jets started five quarterbacks, three of whom threw for at least 1,300 yards.
Despite how it ended, Cardinals general manger Monti Ossenfort said Arizona viewed LaFleur’s time with the Jets as a positive.
“Mike had his hand in walking into a tough situation and the Jets ran some tough things to deal with and I think that is always beneficial when you can see different things in the building,” Ossenfort said. “It was his first chance to call it full time and I think that was a positive, yeah. Probably didn’t go the way Mike wanted it to go, but it was a learning experience and the way he talked us through that and what he gained from that and how he improved from that was something that we really looked on as something that’s beneficial.”
LaFleur had a sizable contingent in attendance for his introduction Tuesday. Along his wife and two kids were his parents and his in-laws; his brother Matt was also in attendance with his wife and children.
“We run deep,” Mike LaFleur said. “We don’t have a lot of us, but the LaFleurs will be around.”.
Matt LaFleur said he was “really excited” for his younger brother to get this opportunity to lead a team.
“I think he’s earned it and he’s done it the right way and he’s been himself throughout this journey and knowing that there are no shortcuts and you got to put in the work and I think he’s going to do a great job,” Matt LaFleur said.
A number of Cardinals players were on hand at Tuesday’s news conference, including linebacker Mack Wilson Sr., cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, defensive lineman Walter Nolen III, edge rusher Josh Sweat, running back Emari Demercado, linebacker Cody Simon and safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson.
Mack Wilson Sr. said he booked a flight as soon as he heard Monday that the news conference was Tuesday.
Matt LaFleur was asked what he and Mike would’ve thought if someone told them while they grew up in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, that they’d one day be the coach of the Packers and Cardinals, respectively.
“I’d say you’re full of s—” Matt said.
Tuesday’s news conference was the culmination of a search that started with Gannon’s firing and lasted almost a month. The search went down to the last minute and consisted of 14 candidates, six of whom interviewed in person, Ossenfort said.
Among the candidates who interviewed in person was Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who is expected to be hired as the Las Vegas Raiders‘ next head coach, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday.
“So, as we went through the interview process, the clear winner was Mike LaFleur,” owner Michael Bidwill said. “He’s ready for this. He’s innovative, he’s smart, he’s been training under the brightest offensive coaches in the NFC West and arguably in the NFL, if not the NFL. And we’re super excited about all the things that he’s going to bring.”
