Jim and John Harbaugh aren’t the NFL’s lone brotherly head-coaching duo anymore.
The Arizona Cardinals have hired Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as their new head coach.
LaFleur, 38, is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
LaFleur met with Cardinals officials for a second interview on Jan. 26 and 27, according to multiple reports. His hire comes just seven days after the Rams’ season ended with a 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak interviewed Saturday but is expected to be hired by the Las Vegas Raiders, according to multiple reports.
The Cardinals fired Jonathan Gannon on Jan. 5 after he finished 3-14 in his third season at the helm. Arizona finished with the worst point differential (minus-133) of any NFC team and ended the year with 25 players on injured reserve.
While LaFleur has not held a play-calling role for the Rams in his three-year run on Sean McVay’s staff, he has played an integral part in setting up an offense that ranked first in scoring and total yards this season.
In Arizona, LaFleur could be facing a reset that extends beyond the coaching staff. Quarterback Kyler Murray’s future with the organization could be in flux after suffering a foot injury in Week 5 that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. Releasing Murray outright would result in a $57.7 million dead cap hit, according to Over The Cap.
