Mike LaFleur enters his second season with the Los Angeles Rams as team's offensive coordinator. He joined the team ahead of the 2023 season after serving as the New York Jets offensive coordinator for the two seasons.
In his first season in Los Angeles, the Rams had a top-ranked offense. The unit finished the season seventh in yards per game (359.3) and yards per play (5.6), 11th in rushing yards per game (120.3), 12th in yards per rush (4.3), 10th in passing yards per game (239.0), and eighth in first downs per game (20.6), third down conversion rate (42%), and points scored per game (23.76). The offense also finished fourth in fourth down conversion rate (61.9%) and red zone efficiency (63.6%). The Rams had the best yards per game ranking since 2019.
Many offensive players excelled under LaFleur's guidance in 2023 including record-breaking rookie Receiver Puka Nacua, All-Pro Running Back Kyren Williams, and veteran Quarterback Matthew Stafford. Nacua broke NFL and franchise records almost every week of play and finished the regular season with the most receiving yards (1,486) and receptions (105) in a single season for a rookie in NFL history. Williams recorded his first season with 1,000 or more rushing yards and captured many accolades throughout the year. Stafford led a very young offense and finished with a passer rating of 92.5.
In his second season as the Jets offensive coordinator in 2022, receiver Garrett Wilson became the first rookie in Jets history and one of 23 players in NFL history to record at least 1,000 receiving yards in his first NFL season. Under the guidance of LaFleur, the Jets offense tied for the most explosive plays in the fourth quarter (39) and recorded a league-best 41 explosive plays by rookies. Additionally, the Jets 10 offensive touchdowns by rookies was fifth-most in the NFL.
LaFleur also helped backup quarterback Mike White record a 405-passing yard performance in Week 8. White became the fifth player in NFL history with more than 350 passing yards in at least two of his first five starts. Despite facing injuries early in the season at the quarterback position, the Jets passing offense finished the 2022 season ranked 15th in passing yards per game (219) as well as 14th in receiving yards (4,040), yards per reception (11.32) and yards after the catch (1,850). The Jets offense also finished 11th in goal to go efficiency (76.2%).
In his first year in the offensive coordinator role, LaFleur worked with four different quarterbacks that threw for more than 290 yards in a game, the first team in NFL history to accomplish that feat. Each of the four quarterbacks also threw two touchdown passes in a game during the season, the first time that has happened since 1987. He oversaw a Jets offense that was one of the youngest in the league and became just the second team since 1970 with a rookie leader in passing, rushing and receiving yards.
LaFleur's offense also featured a rookie receiver, Elijah Moore, that finished in the top 10 among rookies in receiving yards in 2021. This marked the fourth consecutive season a rookie receiver in LaFleur's offense finished the year atop the league's rookie rankings in receiving yards. The Jets rushing attack also improved and over the final eight games, the offense increased their rushing output by more than 50 yards per game and averaged 5.2 yards per carry, which was second-best during that span. Under LaFleur's guidance, rookie fourth-round pick Michael Carter became the first rookie to lead the Jets in rushing since 2006.
Before joining the Jets coaching staff, LaFleur spent four seasons with the 49ers from 2017-20. In his final three seasons in San Francisco, he served as the passing game coordinator and helped the 49ers offense finish in the top 10 in scoring (24.9) and total offense (370.6) while George Kittle set a then NFL record for tight ends with 1,377 receiving yards in 2019 and became a two-time All-Pro selection. During the 2019 season that ended with a Super Bowl appearance, the 49ers offense had 13 different players record at least one touchdown catch, tying the NFL record for the most players with a touchdown catch in a single season. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo also finished fourth in yards per attempt (8.2), fifth in completion percentage (67.5%), and ninth in passer rating (98.6) among quarterbacks with at least 25 starts since 2018.
Before joining the 49ers, LaFleur served as an offensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons, first working with the tight ends in 2015 and then the wide receivers in 2016. During his time with the receivers, Julio Jones finished second in the league in receiving yards (1,409) and averaged 17.0 yards per catch, which was the fourth-best average in the league among qualified receivers. The Falcons receivers totaled 3,226 receiving yards, the second-most in the NFL that season, which helped propel the Falcons to Super Bowl LI. In his one season working with tight ends, Jacob Tamme ranked in the top 10 for receiving yards amongst tight ends (657).
LaFleur began his NFL coaching career as an offensive coaching intern working with the Cleveland Browns offensive line in 2014. LaFleur and the offensive line helped the Browns running backs rush for 16 touchdowns which was tied for the second-most in the NFL.
Prior to joining the NFL ranks, LaFleur coached at the collegiate level for five seasons and started his coaching career at his alma mater, Elmhurst College, in 2009 as an offensive assistant working with the quarterbacks. He also served as an offensive coordinator at Saint Joseph's College from 2010-12 and then Davidson College in 2013.
A native of Mount Pleasant, MI, LaFleur was a team captain and three-time letter winner as a quarterback and safety at Elmhurst. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 2009. LaFleur and his wife, Lauren, have two children. His father, Denny, won a National Championship at Central Michigan in 1974, before later becoming an assistant coach at the school. His brother, Matt, is the head coach of the Green Bay Packers and served as the Rams offensive coordinator in 2017.
