NFL Ranks Cardinals’ Mike LaFleur as Worst Coaching Hire

The unknown is what is holding people around the league back.

Feb 3, 2026; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur speaks to the media at the introductory press conference at the Cardinals training facility. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals' fan base began buzzing (and rightfully so) after the hire of new head coach Mike LaFleur, who brings a ton of potential and promise to the desert to turn things around following their 3-14 finish to the 2025 season.

LaFleur, who previously worked under the league's brightest offensive minds in Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, appears to be next up in the line of trendy, young offensive play-callers the NFL has shifted towards.

That's the belief in the desert, though the narrative surrounding the national landscape is different.

Vastly.

The Cardinals' hire of LaFleur tied for last in The Athletic's poll asking NFL coaches and execs to rank the ten different coaching hires this offseason:

Mike LaFleur Voted Worst HC Hire

Arizona Cardinals new head coach Mike LaFleur at a news conference on Feb. 3, 2026, at Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To sprinkle in some clarity, this was added for context:

“This isn’t a comment on the coach. It’s a comment on the match, the fit within the organization to be able to execute what they’re trying to do,” a team executive told The Athletic. “These guys are all really good coaches. Do they have the resources? Does it fit with the personnel side? All that stuff is probably more important than whether he can coach.”

Still, LaFleur ranking tied for last with Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken isn't exactly inspiring.

Here's what Jeff Howe offered on the duo:

"There’s just too much unknown with Monken, LaFleur and their respective organizations. Both are first-time, offensive-minded NFL head coaches coming from successful teams, and they’re joining two franchises that are perpetually rebuilding.

"Without enough of a track record for the coaches and the organizations’ instability, it’s understandable why our panel took a wait-and-see approach with these hires."

John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski and Jesse Minter ranked as the top three coaches. LaFleur didn't get a single vote to finish as the first, second, third, fourth or fifth-best hire in the cycle.

It appears this is more on Cardinals ownership than LaFleur as a coach. And in fairness, it will be hard for LaFleur to succeed if ownership doesn't allow him to fully thrive.

READ: Creating a Roadmap for Cardinals Super Bowl

"Everyone's got the same vision. And then you think about this division, it's a tough division. If it were easy, it wouldn't be worth it," LaFleur said on why he took the Cardinals' job.

"We know the work that we got in front of us in the back right there [pointing to Cardinals players in attendance]. They know that. But those are the reasons I wanted to be the head coach here."