The Los Angeles Rams recently suffered a big loss to their coaching staff when offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was hired to be the Arizona Cardinals‘ new head coach. And now, it appears as if he’s looking to steal a couple more coaches from Sean McVay‘s staff to join him in Arizona.
The Cardinals waited until the last second to hire LaFleur, which has put him at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to filling out his coaching staff. However, there are still a slew of talented coaches up for grabs, many of whom LaFleur worked with on the Rams. As a result, it looks like he’s targeting L.A.’s assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator, Aubrey Pleasant, to fill a major role on his staff.
Cardinals Request to Interview Aubrey Pleasant for Defensive Coordinator Gig
Pleasant, who was a strong contender for #Chargers DC job, will interview with a former colleague in AZ.
Ever since taking over as the Rams’ head coach, McVay’s coaching staff has become a pipeline for talented rising coaches. Every year, it feels like Los Angeles is having several of its top coaches stolen from it, and this offseason is no different. While Chris Shula and Nate Scheelhaase did not land a head coach gig, they both received quite a bit of interest, and at the last second, LaFleur ended up landing with the Cardinals.
This is LaFleur’s first head coaching opportunity in the NFL, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s going to be looking to work with coaches he’s familiar with. LaFleur has spent time with several teams besides the Rams, but the timing with which he got hired has made his process of filling out his staff a little more difficult.
Right off the bat, though, LaFleur has identified a top candidate for his staff in Pleasant. After spending the past three years working together, it appears as if LaFleur would like to continue being Pleasant’s co-worker, as he has requested to interview him for Arizona’s defensive coordinator opening.
“Cardinals have requested Rams assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant to interview for their DC job, source said,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “Pleasant, who was a strong contender for Chargers DC job, will interview with a former colleague in AZ.”
Rams Hoping Aubrey Pleasant Doesn’t Follow Mike LaFleur to the Cardinals
GettyNew Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is “honored and humbled” to lead the franchise.
Losing LaFleur was already a tough blow for the Rams, but if he takes Pleasant with him, that would make life even more difficult for McVay, as he already has to find a new offensive coordinator. That’s how the NFL works, though, and at this stage of the game, McVay appears to be used to losing some of his top coaches every year.
The process for finding LaFleur’s replacement has only just begun, and it may be worth waiting to see if he takes anymore of McVay’s coaches with him to Arizona. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that LaFleur wants Pleasant to join him on the Cardinals, but you can bet the Rams are going to be hoping he decides to hire someone else to work as his defensive coordinator.
Mike LaFleur Looking to Poach Top Coach from Rams After Getting Hired by Cardinals