During his introductory press conference as the new Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Mike LaFleur made a passing comment that may be a better strapline for his appointment than any statement he made about ownership, the players or the future of this organisation.

Discussing the extensive process that the Cardinals took in finding a replacement for Jonathan Gannon, LaFleur said “The way you guys did it just showed me you guys wanted to get this thing right and I’m not saying you got it right, I hope you got it right“.

For a fan base that hasn’t enjoyed anything except fleeting moments of success since Bruce Arians left the team, a general manager who won’t get a third chance at making a decision like this and an owner who could face a mutiny if this ship continues to sink, I hope they got it right, too.

There are plenty of reasons to believe that Mike LaFleur can be the right man for the Arizona Cardinals. He is fresh off aiding the LA Rams in becoming the #1 overall offence in the NFL as Sean McVay’s offensive coordinator. In 2025, the Rams led the league in passing yards (4557), passing touchdowns (46), were seventh in rushing yards (2152) and were the least penalised offence in the league (75).

That was not a one off success, either. While he wasn’t the offensive play-caller in LA, LaFleur is noted as being an integral piece of the puzzle and bringing a much-needed fresh insight for McVay to tap into after the team had crashed to a 5-12 record in 2022, with the #27 offence in the league.

LaFleur was reportedly instrumental in helping to transform the Rams’ run game. In 2022, the Rams were 28th in total rush yards (1661). In his first year on the staff, they jumped to 11th (2045) and #8 in overall offence.

McVay recently credited LaFleur as allowing McVay himself to be “a better head coach” due to his contributions on the offensive side of the ball and helping him to gameplan for the likes of the Seattle Seahawks and the 49ers can only be a bonus for MLF ahead of the candidates who came from outside the NFC West.

A major part of this recruiting process has been about identifying a coach who is able to develop players – the organisation are not in the same situation they were in talent wise when Gannon first came in – and LaFleur has a track record of working alongside thriving young talent.

Puka Nacua exploded onto the scene in 2023, with LaFleur as his OC, being named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and a second-team All-Pro as he set the record for receiving yards as a rookie. This past year, Nacua was a First-Team All-Pro after leading the league in receptions and became the fastest player to record 300 career receptions (43 games).

Running back Kyren Williams has been the workhorse behind the Rams improved rushing attack, recording 3 consecutive seasons of 1000+ yard (2 of 1200+) while LaFleur was in LA, being named a second-team All-Pro in 2023.

Steve Avila was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie team alongside Nacua in 2023 and he was ranked as a top 10 guard by PFF in 2025 and tackle Warren McClendon enjoyed a breakout year this year as he stepped in for the injured Rob Havenstein.

Second-year running back Blake Corum also improved leaps and bounds over the past year. As a rookie, Corum had only managed 207 rushing yards at a 3.6 yards per attempt average. With an increased workload, that skyrocketed to 5.1 YPA for 746 yards in 2025. They are results that Trey Benson should take note of.

It isn’t just young talent that thrived during LaFleur’s time as the offensive coordinator with the Rams. The soon-to-be 38-year old Matthew Stafford played some of the best football of his career in 2025 and is the betting favourite to be named MVP tonight. If Stafford receives that award, he will give plenty of thanks to the man who snapped him the ball throughout the season, center Coleman Shelton, who had a career-best year directly in front of Stafford.

Right, that’s enough of the Rams love-in, I feel violently ill.

Although it’s hard to truly know how much of an influence he had on each of those players, it will be hoped that LaFleur can transfer some of those successes to the Cardinals with a particular onus on getting the best out of Marvin Harrison Jr, with Ossenfort highlighting his “detail-orientated teaching style” during the presser on Tuesday.

LaFleur’s successes are not strictly limited to LA, either. His time as the offensive play-caller for the Jets did ultimately end in him being fired after overseeing the 28th and 29th ranked offence in the league, yet there were some signs of promise in amongst the wreckage.

In terms of player development, high-value draft picks Alijah Vera-Tucker, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall all hit the ground running under LaFleur’s guidance. Vera-Tucker was named to the All-Rookie Team in 2021, Garrett Wilson was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 and Breece Hall was on track to eclipse 1000+ rushing yards before he suffered a season-ending injury. Both Wilson and Hall have since voiced their love and appreciation for LaFleur.

There is no hiding from the fact that things went wrong for LaFleur in New York. His offence ranked in the bottom tier overall across both seasons, only the Kenny Pickett/Matt Canada led Steelers had less passing touchdowns than LaFleur’s Jets in 2022 and the only offensive categories the Jets were ranked in the top half of the NFL under LaFleur were passing offence (15) and passing yards (#15) in 2022, a season where they had to throw the ball because they were constantly behind.

LaFleur was also part of the disasterclass that was Zach Wilson in New York.

The blame shouldn’t be laid at his door – the Jets evaluated the situation poorly and the tragic death of QB Coach Gregg Knapp rocked the team – and interestingly the Jets ranked highly as a passing offence when Mike White or Joe Flacco were leading LaFleur’s offence but there is no proof that LaFleur can help develop a young quarterback. That’s something he will have to do in the coming years to achieve success in Arizona.

Taking responsibility for offensive play-calling again in Arizona, after his three years under McVay, LaFleur inherits a wider range of talent from Jonathan Gannon than he did when walking into the Jets. Though a decision remains on the future of Kyler Murray and James Conner is in the final year of his contract, LaFleur will be able to call upon a genuine rockstar in Trey McBride, a cornerstone tackle in Paris Johnson Jr. and a potentially lethal receiving tandem in Michael Wilson and MHJ.

Not being the play caller in LA isn’t as big of a deal as some people made out during the hiring process and following the announcement. Kevin O’Connell hadn’t been the play-caller in LA when he was given the top job with the Vikings and he’s overseen two 13+ win seasons. It was Mike McCarthy who called plays for Dallas in 2024 before being replaced by Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys were the #2 passing offence in 2025.

It’s not a non-factor either especially because of the added responsibility that Mike LaFleur is now under.

Having to call plays, as well as having the pressure and broader scope of being the Head Coach, can break a man. That’s why some head coaches delegate to their coordinators, even when their play-calling exploits have been the key reason they’ve landed a job.

We’ve already seen that LaFleur is going to lean on experience with the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett as Offensive Coordinator. While it looks like the team are targeting a younger up-and-coming coach to take the reins of the defence, having experienced heads around LaFleur will be crucial.

That’s not meant to be a patronising jab. Even though he is only 38, LaFleur has more than a decade of experience at the NFL level and has learned from some of the best in the business. The most notable of course being McVay and Kyle Shanahan, but LaFleur has also experienced the leadership styles Dan Quinn and Robert Saleh from his time at the Falcons and the Jets respectively, as well as being on the same staffs as Mike McDaniel and his brother, Matt.

But this is different.

While actions speak louder than words, LaFleur is clearly a good communicator. He comes across clearly, he’s engaging and has authenticity. Whether he can command a room when backs are against the wall, keep a grip of the steering wheel when things are spinning out of control and be the same emboldened personality we’ve seen so far is another story. When you fuck up as the Head Coach, there’s nowhere else to turn. The buck stops with you.

That is something that Jonathan Gannon could not do in Arizona and it’s something that countless men across the NFL fail to do every year. Having people to lean on, who have been able to do that, would be a priceless resource.

There have been some to crown this as a “home run” hire. There have been others, especially in the wider media, who have graded it poorly (in part due to the situation the Cardinals currently find themselves rather than LaFleur himself).

I don’t sit in either camp. When it was announced that Mike LaFleur was taking the job, I didn’t pop the champagne. LaFleur probably has the most to prove out of the realistic candidates for the role particularly as a first-time head coach.

His time at the Jets does have valid question marks around it, he doesn’t have the benefit of being an in-demand play-calling mastermind in the same way others did and he was ultimately dispensable to the Rams. That’s likely why the Cardinals were comfortable to complete an interview with Klint Kubiak, when some fans were crying out for them to get LaFleur signed, because they knew he’d still be there come Sunday. He wasn’t getting a major promotion or a pay rise like the Jaguars coordinators received.

However, his track record of supporting one of the best coaches in the NFL, the progression that a number of offensive players have made while he’s been part of the setup and his knowledge of having to duke it out in the NFC West mean that he could succeed. I want him to succeed.

I want to be excited to watch the Arizona Cardinals again. I want to have fun watching my team again.

Only time will tell but like the man himself said, Michael Bidwill and Monti Ossenfort, I hope you got it right.

Image Credits: Rob Schumacher/The Republic, Jeremy Chen/Arizona Cardinals, Chris Coduto, Getty Images