It is expected that Kyler Murray has played his final game in Arizona.
The Cardinals are thought to be moving on from their quarterback after seven seasons and one playoff game. Murray played only five games in 2025.
New coach Mike LaFleur isn’t ready to address the quarterback position yet, though.
“We’ve got to go back and talk about all these decisions — quarterback, O-line, specialists,” LaFleur said, via Darren Urban of the team website. “Everything. It’s our job and for these players to build the best roster at each position. Those are conversations we will have, and I am looking forward in about 45 minutes getting after it.”
Murray spent much of the 2025 season on injured reserve with a foot injury. He missed nine games in 2023.
The Cardinals are 38-48-1 in his starts.
LaFleur said he has “touched base” with Murray since landing the job.
“I’ll say this, being in this division for seven years, it was never fun [to play Murray],” LaFleur said. “I have a lot of respect for him as a player. He was never a fun challenge to go against.”
Murray, Jacoby Brissett and Kedon Slovis are under contract with the team for 2026. Thus, the Cardinals’ starting quarterback for 2026 might not be on the roster.
Whoever the starter is, LaFleur will call the plays.
LaFleur did not call the plays the past three seasons as offensive coordinator of the Rams.
“I missed it,” said LaFleur, who was the play caller for two seasons with the Jets.
Cardinals Clips
Declan Doyle’s move to the Ravens has left the Bears with an opening at offensive coordinator.
One candidate to fill it is Connor Senger. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that they have requested an interview with the Cardinals’ pass game specialist.
Senger joined the Cardinals as a coaching fellow in 2022 and took on his current role after working as a quality control coach and assistant quarterbacks coach.
Senger has drawn interest as a quarterbacks coach in recent days as teams put together their coaching staffs ahead of the 2026 season and he also served as the offensive coordinator for the East team in this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl. Senger called plays in that role, but Bears head coach Ben Johnson handles those duties in Chicago.
The Packers have made it official with Jonathan Gannon, naming the former Cardinals head coach their defensive coordinator on Monday.
“We are thrilled to add Jonathan Gannon to our coaching staff. He possesses tremendous experience as an NFL coordinator and head coach,” head coach Matt LaFleur said in a statement released by the team. “I am confident that he will be an outstanding addition to our organization, as well as a strong leader of our defense. We welcome Jonathan, his wife, Gina, and their three children, Rocco, Lola, and Angelo, to the Packers and the Green Bay community.”
Gannon, 43, joins the Packers after three seasons with the Cardinals. Arizona went 15-36 in Gannon’s tenure.
Before that, Gannon was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator from 2021-2022. He had served as the Colts’ defensive backs coach from 2018-2020.
Gannon replaces Jeff Hafley, who was hired as Dolphins head coach last month.
The Cardinals made it official Sunday, announcing they have agreed to a five-year contract with Mike LaFleur.
LaFleur replaces Jonathan Gannon as the team’s new head coach.
“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.”
LaFleur, the younger brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. While he didn’t call plays for head coach Sean McVay, LaFleur did gain play-calling experience in two seasons as offensive coordinator with the Jets.
He turns 39 in March.
“In his career, Mike has been around some of the best and brightest coaches in football and has been a key contributor to highly successful teams,” Ossenfort said in a statement. “He understands what winning football looks like and what it takes to achieve it. Mike is a strong communicator with a detail-oriented teaching style that has always gotten the best from his players and we are incredibly excited for him to bring that to the Cardinals.”
LaFleur began his NFL coaching career under Kyle Shanahan, working with him in Cleveland and Atlanta before becoming Shanahan’s passing game coordinator in San Francisco from 2017-20. He was then hired by the Jets under then-head coach Robert Saleh.
LaFleur becomes the 11th Cardinals’ coach since the team moved to Arizona.
“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 in a statement. “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. He is highly intelligent with an exceptionally sharp, creative football mind. Mike is also a dynamic and innovative leader and exactly the type of person we were looking for to guide our team as its head coach.”
The last head coaching vacancy has been filled.
The Cardinals are hiring Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur to be their next head coach, according to multiple reports.
LaFleur is set to have a five-year contract.
LaFleur — the younger brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur — had been with the Rams as OC since 2023. While he did not call plays for Los Angeles, as head coach Sean McVay performs that role, he did have a play-calling stint with the Jets from 2021-2022.
Mike LaFleur also spent plenty of time working under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. He was an offensive intern for the Browns in 2014 when Shanahan was the team’s offensive coordinator. He then followed Shanahan to the Falcons, serving as an offensive assistant while Shanahan was the club’s OC.
LaFleur became the 49ers’ passing game coordinator and receivers coach when Shanahan was hired as San Francisco’s head coach in 2017. He was the passing game coordinator from 2019-2020, following Robert Saleh to the Jets when he became the team’s head coach.
With the Cardinals selecting LaFleur, all 10 head coaching vacancies for the 2026 offseason have now been filled.
Mike and Matt LaFleur now also become the second pair of brothers as current head coaches, joining the Giants’ John Harbaugh and Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh.
It looks like the Raiders have found their next head coach.
While it won’t become official until after Super Bowl LX, Las Vegas has zeroed in on Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for the job, according to multiple reports.
Kubiak met with both the Cardinals and Raiders — the two remaining teams with head coaching vacancies — over the weekend, with Las Vegas apparently coming away as the better fit.
Kubiak, the son of former NFL head coach Gary Kubiak who won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos, is about to complete his first year with the Seahawks. He was previously the Saints offensive coordinator in 2024 and the 49ers offensive passing game coordinator in 2023.
The Seahawks finished the 2025 season No. 3 in points scored and No. 8 in total yards.
Las Vegas will certainly hope Kubiak lasts longer than the team’s last three head coaches. Josh McDaniels was hired in 2022 but was fired midway through the 2023 season. Antonio Pierce served as interim coach through 2023 and was hired full-time for 2024, but was fired after one year. Pete Carroll was then hired in early 2025 but fired after the club finished 3-14.
The Raiders are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. They are now set to pair him with a young, offensive mind to try and compete in the AFC West.
The Seahawks are expected to lose their most important assistant coach after the Super Bowl. The only question is which team will make offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak its next head coach.
Kubiak reportedly interviewed with both the Raiders and the Cardinals on Saturday. It was his second time interviewing with both teams.
If Kubiak is the first choice of both teams, which he appears to be, he’s in a great position to negotiate for a great contract. He can’t officially take a head-coaching job until after Super Bowl LX, but he can agree to terms with either the Raiders or the Cardinals at any time.
The 38-year-old Kubiak, son of former NFL player and coach Gary Kubiak, was hired a year ago as offensive coordinator in Seattle and has been praised for the work he has done with Sam Darnold and the Seahawks’ offense. He has previously been an offensive coordinator for the Saints and the Vikings and a passing game coordinator for the 49ers and Broncos.
Former Cardinals and Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has fought and won plenty of health battles. He’s about to fight another.
Appearing on Today to promote an upcoming prostate cancer screening Super Bowl commercial with tight end Rob Gronkowski, Arians told Craig Melvin that Arians will undergo open heart surgery on February 6.
The comment came at the tail end of the interview, with no specifics as to why Arians will have the procedure.
We wish him nothing but the best. He’s always been a colorful character, more than willing to drop an S-bomb or an F-bomb or an MF-bomb or some combination of the three.
Also, watch the interview and the commercial. Men over 40 need prostate cancer screening. And it no longer comes with the singing of Moon River.
The Bills have found a key assistant for new head coach Joe Brady.
Per Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com, Buffalo is hiring Jeff Rodgers as special teams coordinator.
Rodgers, 48, is a longtime special teams coordinator and had been with the Cardinals since 2018. He served in the role under former head coaches Steve Wilks, Kliff Kingsbury, and Jonathan Gannon.
Rodgers has also been the special teams coordinator for the Panthers, Broncos, and Bears since 2010.
Rodgers replaces Chris Tabor, who signed on to become the Dolphins’ special teams coordinator after the Bills fired Sean McDermott earlier this month.
The Bills and Packers both need a quarterbacks coach.
Each team is going to take a look at a candidate from the NFC West.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Buffalo and Green Bay have put in a request to interview Arizona pass game specialist Connor Senger for the role.
Senger, 30, has been with the Cardinals since 2022, serving in a few different roles. He was promoted to passing game specialist for the 2025 season after being assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024.
While the Bills are filling out Joe Brady’s first staff as head coach, the Packers need a QBs coach after Sean Mannion departed the franchise to become the Eagles offensive coordinator this week.
