The Arizona Cardinals’ 26-14 win over the Chargers might be the biggest upset of Week 1, but what the win meant for head coach Mike LaFleur was even crazier.
The last time a Cardinals head coach won his debut game was Don Coryell in 1973. On Sunday, LaFleur became the first coach in franchise history since Coryell to win his debut game.
And that was with every odds market and every prediction undermining them. DraftKings had them as 8.5-point underdogs. LaFleur chose to ignore the noise, and it shows. Still, the win meant an even bigger deal for QB Jacoby Brissett.
Jacoby Brissett on Winning Mike LaFleur’s Debut Game for Cardinals
The Cardinals have Brissett signed for one year through 2026. If Brissett fails to secure an extension this season, he will be a free agent by the time next season rolls around.
“Of course,” Brissett said when asked about handing LaFleur such a historic win, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. “I mean, I want to get a win in every one of Mike’s games.”
“He was great today,” Brissett added of LaFleur. “Me and him, I feel like we were in sync from play one. I’m just so happy for him. Nobody deserves it more than him.”
Per Brissett, the rest of the locker room was just as elated to win LaFleur’s debut game.
LaFleur himself was quite indifferent, though.
“Nothing right now I feel,” he said. “And I don’t say that in a bad way, I’m just so happy for those guys. It’s just the work that they put in and our training. I don’t know. I don’t compare us to anyone else.”
LaFleur’s approach to the win was the most level-headed they could be after pulling an upset that would perhaps go down in franchise history.
LaFleur added that the team is focusing on what’s next, and explained his non-result-based approach this season.
“Again, what’s been said, it doesn’t matter,” LaFleur said. “We don’t care. And I hope we continue to feel that way. Like I just told them the humility is a day away in this league, so we got to reset and get right back to work tomorrow. But I’m happy for those guys.”
“I’m just so excited about these guys and the work that they put in to get the results. We’re not going to be results-based. We know what this league is. It is results-based, I get it. But inward, in our building, we’re going to be about our process and putting in the work and let the results go where they may.”
Brissett Earns Massive Win Bonus
Meanwhile, Brissett earned a personal financial win, too, alongside logging a season-opening win for Arizona. Sunday’s win came with a massive $285,000 bonus for Brissett.
“The bonuses are part of the one-year, $15.5 million contract Brissett signed with the team in the offseason. He will also receive a $1.25 million bonus if he throws for 24 touchdown passes and a $1.4 million bonus if he throws for 3,500 yards,” Bleacher Report’s Timothy Rapp explains.
Given that Brissett continues winning games and defying the odds for the Cardinals, he could easily play his way into an even more lucrative contract extension before those milestone bonuses even clear.
Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett Opens Up About Giving Mike LaFleur Historic Win