Mike LaFleur, the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, said Tuesday that stepping into the role “felt right,” reflecting on past experiences in the State Farm Stadium area with both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.

In 2020, LaFleur was with the 49ers when COVID-19 restrictions forced the team to relocate for six weeks near the stadium. In 2024, he coached with the Rams during a wildfire-impacted “home” playoff game at the same venue. “I already know this building,” LaFleur said at his introductory press conference. “I got to walk around this building for three days. I told my wife Lauren about a year ago, ‘I’m going to be the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals someday.’ It just felt right.”

LaFleur, 37, comes from a family of coaches, his brother Matt is the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Surrounded by family and about 20 current Cardinals players at the press conference, LaFleur emphasized building relationships and assembling his coaching staff before worrying about wins and losses.

“We have to go to work to build this roster,” he said. “Even if we were flipped and it was 14-3, guess what? You go right back to work. I’m just concerned about building this staff and getting to work with these guys so that when the time does come, we’re putting our best foot forward to go win football games.”

Owner Michael Bidwill praised LaFleur as the “clear winner” among 14 candidates in a 27-day hiring process, noting the team benefited from learning from each interview. LaFleur will call offensive plays, something he last did full-time as the Jets offensive coordinator in 2021–22.

Wide receiver Michael Wilson praised the hire, saying LaFleur’s system will “be built organically around the players” while incorporating elements of the Shanahan and McVay coaching trees.

LaFleur acknowledged the challenges of taking over a 3–14 team with quarterback questions still unresolved but exuded confidence about navigating the NFC West. “If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth it,” he said.

The new Cardinals coach concluded by looking at the replica division and conference banners behind the players at the press conference: adding a championship banner himself is the ultimate goal.