Mike LaFleur excited to call Cardinals offense

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur will call the offense in his new role.

It marks the first time he’ll take over primary play-calling duties since his time in New York (2021-22).

And although he hasn’t had full control of an offense in years, LaFleur has gained plenty of insight behind some of the best in the business.

“We liked to say this in L.A., ‘The worst play call is the late play call.’ Get the play call into your quarterback, get the play call into the offense, so they can go operate,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “Even the times I had with (Kyle Shanahan) and San Francisco having to go out against the Rams, the one thing that always stood out was how they operated pre-snap. Like it just looked clean and sharp. And I mean, I am so fully invested in that portion of it.

“Everyone’s got good plays. In my opinion, everyone has good scheme, but it’s really leading up to that moment. How clean do we get out of that huddle? How do we operate? How fast do I get that call in there to allow these players to go do what they do best? I think that’s something that we even just got better at in the last few years, particularly this last year. That’s something definitely that we’ll implement as we get this thing going.”

Whether or not LaFleur would call plays was among the big question marks surrounding the addition this hiring cycle, especially given his previous role with the Los Angeles Rams.

While LaFleur was pegged as Los Angeles offensive coordinator, it was head coach Sean McVay serving as a primary playcaller the past three seasons.

LaFleur saw glimpses as the Rams’ playcaller, though. He did call plays against the Cardinals last season during a 45-17 win because McVay had missed the week’s game prep while sick. LaFleur may have called plays sparingly in L.A., but as a first-time OC with the New York Jets from 2021-22, he was the man with the play sheet.

The full body of work is far from glowing, with the Jets posting the 26th and 25th offense in the two years LaFleur was OC. LaFleur also had to deal with the dysfunction in New York that included multiple quarterbacks, including Zach Wilson and Mike White.

Even with the questionable signal caller, LaFleur was still able to get his playmakers the rock, specifically wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

Earning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, Wilson racked up 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns.

For a Cardinals team that is looking to get the best out of young wideouts Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, that’s something to keep in mind.

Arizona has notably had a recent history of head coaches who also served as offensive play-callers, including Kliff Kingsbury (2019-22) and Bruce Arians (2013-17).

The Cardinals’ last head coach, Jonathan Gannon (2023-25), allowed both his coordinators to call plays.

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