Mike LaFleur

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as head coach on Sunday, turning to a division rival’s offensive coordinator to try to pull the franchise out of the bottom of the NFC West.

The Cardinals’ announcement of the five-year deal brought an end to the nearly four-week hiring process.

The 38-year-old Los Angeles Rams assistant replaces Jonathan Gannon, who was fired on Jan. 5 after a 15-36 record over three seasons, including 3-14 this past season.

LaFleur — who is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur — has been the Rams’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.

“I couldn’t be more fired up to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and am beyond grateful to (owner) Michael (Bidwill) and (general manager) Monti (Ossenfort) for this opportunity,” LaFleur said in a statement.

“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.”

Los Angeles had the NFL’s top offense in 2025, averaging nearly 400 total yards and more than 30 points per game. The Rams fell one game short of the Super Bowl, losing to the Seattle Seahawks 31-27 in the NFC championship game.

The Cardinals’ brass got a good look at LaFleur’s offense twice this past season when the Rams piled up a total of 82 points in a pair of lopsided wins. LaFleur also was the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets in 2021 and 2022 and worked under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan for several years — including in Cleveland, Atlanta and San Francisco.

Arizona’s hiring process was a quiet one, with no official team announcements for interviews. The Cardinals reportedly talked to several candidates, including Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

“We had the opportunity to speak with an outstanding group of candidates during this very thorough process and gathered tremendous insight from each of them,” Bidwill said. “At the end of that process, it was clear that Mike LaFleur possesses all the traits necessary to lead this team to success as its head coach.”

Raiders close with Kubiak

The Las Vegas Raiders are working toward finalizing an agreement to make Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak their head coach, a person with knowledge of the discussions said Sunday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no contract was in place and no announcement can be made until after next Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Seahawks and New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California.

Kubiak interviewed with the Raiders on Saturday for the second time and appeared in recent days to be their primary target.

Kubiak, 38, would be the third coach in three seasons for the Raiders and fifth full-time leader since they moved to Las Vegas in 2020. He succeeds Pete Carroll, who went 3-14 in one season in Las Vegas after a storied run with Seattle that included two Super Bowl appearances and one championship.

Elsewhere:

n The San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris as their new defensive coordinator in hopes of finding a long-term solution to a revolving door at the spot.

n New Atlanta coach Kevin Stefanski continued to build his staff on Sunday by adding Tanner Engstrand as offensive passing game coordinator. On Saturday, he hired Alex Van Pelt as quarterbacks coach.

n The Buffalo Bills hired Jim Leonhard as their defensive coordinator on Saturday.