What Mike LaFleur Said After Becoming Arizona Cardinals Head Coach

The Arizona Cardinals' newest head coach is excited to get to work.

Jul 23, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals have officially hired their next head coach.

After nearly four full weeks of interviewing roughly 20 candidates, the Cardinals land on Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who projects as one of the league's top offensive minds thanks to his prior coaching experience under names such as Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan.

LaFleur, in an official statement released by the team, says he's ready to get to work right away.

"I couldn't be more fired up to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and am beyond grateful to Michael (Bidwill) and Monti (Ossenfort) for this opportunity," LaFleur said.

"Having competed against them in the NFC so many times in recent years, I know the type of talent and toughness the team has and cannot wait to get to Arizona to hit the ground running."

READ: 3 Instant Reactions to Cardinals Hiring Mike LaFleur

The Cardinals move into the future looking to reverse course quickly after finishing 2025 with a 3-14 record.

With offensive weapons such as Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. in store, LaFleur should be able to do some creative things in Arizona.

LaFleur, also the brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, has five total years of offensive coordinator experience with two years of legitimate play-calling under his belt with the New York Jets.

There's hope the overall knowledge from Shanahan, McVay and his brother can prop LaFleur up as one of the NFL's best play-callers moving into the future.

“In his career, Mike has been around some of the best and brightest coaches in football and has been a key contributor to highly successful teams. He understands what winning football looks like and what it takes to achieve it," Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said in a statement.

"Mike is a strong communicator with a detail-oriented teaching style that has always gotten the best from his players and we are incredibly excited for him to bring that to the Cardinals.”

READ: Why Mike LaFleur is Well Worth the Risk

Arizona moves into the offseason with a projected $38.4 million in cap space entering 2026. They have the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft as well.

LaFleur will have to decide on a few key decisions like what will happen with Kyler Murray and who will call Arizona's defense next season — though after a long search, the Cardinals appear to get their guy.