TEMPE — Sometimes when you know, you know.
For new Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur, that was exactly the case.
Much like wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and cornerback Will Johnson speaking their Cardinals tenures into existence, LaFleur had his own Arizona premonition well before he was in the mix this hiring cycle.
Maybe it’s karma, a wild coincidence or a mixture of both. Either way, the Cardinals’ willingness to open their doors to both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams during the COVID-19 pandemic and most recently the L.A. fires opened LaFleur’s eyes up to joining the franchise.
“This is family. This is home. … I told Lauren about a year ago, ‘I’m going to be the head coach the Arizona Cardinals someday.’”
Mike LaFleur on speaking his new gig into existence and how Arizona lending a hand during COVID and the L.A. fires played a part in that ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Yc8nE54Ml5
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) February 3, 2026
“We got a got a call from the league that Santa Clara is shutting down. Within about 24 hours, (owner Michael Bidwill) opened up his home,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “And we made this our home for six weeks. … My wife and my kids and we were all down here and it was an incredible experience. And then you go to last year and the fires sit in L.A. We’re about ready to host a playoff game versus the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football in the first round.
“The fires got a little bit too close and we had to move. Who was the first one to call, who was the first one to send over the planes, who was the first one to open their doors? It was the Arizona Cardinals and (Bidwill). And I’ll never forget in that moment thinking, ‘This is family. This is home.’ And it was temporary for three days. … I told I think Lauren at the time about a year ago, ‘I’m going to be the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals someday.’ It just felt right.”
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For LaFleur, it’s been a journey to get to this point — even if he’s just 38 years old.
Cutting his teeth as a Cleveland Browns offensive intern at 27, LaFleur has spent the past 12 years working his way up the ranks as the league’s next offensive mastermind in waiting.
On top of the many titles he’s held since first taking that Browns job in 2014, the influential coaches LaFleur sat alongside at each stop stand out even more.
In a true who’s who opening remark, LaFleur made sure to thank plenty of the minds that helped mold him, including his brother Matt LaFleur (who was also in attendance), Kyle Shanahan, Dan Quinn, Robert Saleh and Sean McVay.
Now, it’s on LaFleur to take what he’s learned from each of his coaching stops to turn the franchise’s fortunes around.
Is it going to be easy? Hell no. The Cardinals enter 2026 without a clearcut direction at quarterback, have multiple impact players coming off season-ending injuries that could potentially pour over into next year and have plenty of roster needs that must be addressed.
There’s a reason Fred Warner said what he said last week. It’s likely the sentiment across the division and throughout the league.
And let’s not forget Arizona also plays in the toughest division in all of football, where three teams were vying for the No. 1 seed in the NFC at one point.
The pressure to succeed right away is there, too. In addition to Bidwill eyeing a quick turnaround following a failed three years under Jonathan Gannon, LaFleur also follows in the prestigious footsteps of previous Rams OCs. All of them, including his brother, found instant success.
Filling out a coaching staff is also high atop the must-dos.
But regardless of the mountain that needs to be climbed for this team to get back to relevancy and the time allotted to do so, LaFleur appears ready for the challenge.
“I think we’re about 10 weeks in and (Arizona’s) record wasn’t what anyone would want it to be, but I’ll never forget (Rams quarterback) Matthew Stafford coming right into my office and goes, ‘Man, these guys can play.’ I’ve seen it firsthand. I know what’s on this roster.
“There’s a lot of reasons I was so thrilled to be in this seat right here, but again, it’s what (general manager Monti Ossenfort) has built over of these last few years. There are pieces. When you look at the fourth quarter of a lot of those games, particularly in the mid part of the season, they were close, tight games. We got to figure out what those little edges are to get us over and that’s what we intend to do. It’s going to be through the work, it’s going to be through daily urgency, daily enjoyment, daily improvement, but they’re not far off.”
With the ink now dry on LaFleur’s contract and his introductory press conference wrapped, the real fun begins.
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