What’s Realistic for Arizona Cardinals Under First-Year Coach Mike LaFleur?

The Arizona Cardinals move into a new era of Mike LaFleur football. What's a realistic goal here?

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

The Arizona Cardinals march into the 2026 offseason under the guidance of first-year coach Mike LaFleur with hopes of turning things around sooner as opposed to later.

The Cardinals feel like they've got a roster capable of a quick turnaround. Owner Michael Bidwill expressed that after firing Jonathan Gannon and LaFleur didn't shy away from a similar question in his introductory press conference.

"This league is pressure. It is. Every year is a blank slate. I'm not worried about what our record was, the record last year, all that means is we got a higher draft pick. That's all that really matters at that point. We got to go to work to build this roster, even if it flipped and it was 14-3, guess what? You go right back to work. So I'm not really concerned about all that kind of stuff," he said.

What's a realistic expectation for Arizona in LaFleur's first season?

What Cardinals Fans Should Expect Under Mike LaFleur

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 Cardinals were fully expected to make a playoff push ahead of 2025 before an ugly mix of injuries and overall poor play saw Arizona finish with a 3-14 record.

For 2026, SI.com's Eva Geitheim believes 7-8 wins is a realistic expectation:

"New Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur has the unenviable task of trying to make Arizona competitive in the toughest division in the NFL. The Rams, 49ers and Seahawks were three of the NFC’s final four teams, and the Rams and Seahawks are arguably the two best teams in the entire league," she said.

"It would be difficult for the Cardinals, who appear ready to make a change at quarterback, to be expected to win the division in Year 1 under LaFleur. If they can make it difficult for their divisional foes while earning 7-8 wins, that would be a good result for LaFleur’s first season."

The Cardinals should be thrilled if LaFleur can get this team to eight wins next year.

This is still the same roster many expected to battle for the postseason in 2025. With $42 million in current projected cap space for free agency and a full slate of picks in the draft, Arizona could see their roster even more upgraded.

Expectations for a first-year head coach always seem to be volitile. Playoffs are out of the realm of realistic thinking for the Cardinals considering how last season went, though if LaFleur is anything close to the innovative play-caller we're expecting, Arizona won't need to try another three-year rebuild.

7-8 wins feels like a strong middle ground that shows progress from 2025 while also not grasping for unattainable straws.