
USA Today via Reuters
Aug 11, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches game action against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
Aug 11, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches game action against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Essentials Inside The Story
- Kevin O’Connell has been highly successful with a 43–25 record and two division titles in four years
- In a Year 1 turnaround, Liam Coen led the Jaguars from a 4-win season to a 13–4 record and an AFC South title
- Zac Taylor is seemingly sitting on hot seat after the Bengals missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is one of the premier products of Kyle Shanahan‘s impressive coaching tree. But since becoming a head coach of his own, McVay had created quite the coaching tree himself.
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With offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur leaving to become the Arizona Cardinals‘ new head coach, seven assistants have now left McVay’s staff to become head coaches. Where are they all now?
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Matt LaFleur: Green Bay Packers head coach (2019-present)

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Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spent one season with Sean McVay and the Rams as their offensive coordinator. In their year together, McVay and Lafleur led the Rams to the league’s number-one scoring offense, logging 29.9 points per game.
LaFleur left Los Angeles for a chance at play-calling duties, taking on the offensive coordinator position with the Tennessee Titans. Despite leading the Titans to the 27th scoring offense, the Packers made Lafleur their next head coach.
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LaFleur has been the head coach for the Packers through seven seasons, compiling a 79-46-1 record. Green Bay has a winning record in six of seven seasons under McVay’s former assistant’s rule, with three division titles.
Despite the team’s success, LaFleur has been criticized for his performance in the playoffs, with a 3-6 record. However, the Packers agreed to a multi-year contract with LaFleur in January and are committed to him in the future.
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Zac Taylor: Cincinnati Bengals head coach (2019-present)
Zac Taylor joined McVay’s staff in 2017 as an assistant wide receivers coach. In 2018, Taylor moved up to quarterbacks coach. Taylor was vital in Jared Goff’s development and helped lead the young passer to a Super Bowl appearance.
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The Cincinnati Bengals named Taylor their head coach shortly after the 2018 season concluded. The move from quarterbacks coach to head coach was a significant jump, with Taylor only having interim offensive coordinator experience.
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Taylor has spent seven seasons as Cincinnati’s head coach, earning a 52-63-1 regular season record. Despite a lackluster performance in the regular season, Taylor has an impressive 5-2 record in the playoffs, including a Super Bowl appearance against McVay himself.
The former quarterbacks coach’s development of Joe Burrow has been a strong reason for his success in the league. However, the Bengals haven’t made the playoffs in three straight seasons, and fans are getting restless. Taylor’s name has floated around as a candidate for the hot seat if Cincinnati can’t find success in 2026.
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Kevin O’Connell: Minnesota Vikings head coach (2022-present)

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Nov 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell warms up with his team before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Kevin O’Connell joined McVay’s staff in 2020 as the team’s new offensive coordinator after McVay held those duties since Matt LaFleur’s departure. The Rams had a bottom-10 scoring offense in O’Connell’s first season, but bounced back in 2021. Los Angeles had the sixth-best scoring offense in 2021, leading them to their Super Bowl victory over Taylor’s Bengals.
Just a few days after winning the Super Bowl, the Minnesota Vikings named O’Connell their next head coach. O’Connell made an immediate impact in his first year, leading the Vikings to a 13-4 record and winning the division. After a down season in 2023, O’Connell and Minnesota were marching once again, logging a 14-3 record.
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In his four seasons with the Vikings, O’Connell has led the team to a 43-25 record, with two playoff appearances, losing both.
Minnesota continues to be committed to its head coach despite firing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
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Liam Coen: Jacksonville Jaguars head coach (2025-present)
Liam Coen‘s introduction to NFL coaching started with the Rams and McVay. He joined the staff in 2018 as an assistant wide receivers coach before a move to assistant quarterbacks coach.
Coen would spend a couple of years flip-flopping from the University of Kentucky’s coaching staff and the Los Angeles coaching staff before making a lateral move from Rams offensive coordinator to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator. After one season with the Buccaneers, the Jacksonville Jaguars named Coen their new head coach.
In one season with the Jaguars, Coen has made an immediate impact. Jacksonville went from a 4-13 record to a 13-4 record, winning the AFC South.
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The Jaguars lost in the wild-card round to the Buffalo Bills in a close 27-24 battle. Under Coen, Trevor Lawrence had his best statistical season yet, and Jacksonville looks to be a force in the future.
Mike LaFleur: Arizona Cardinals head coach (2026-present)

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NFL, American Football Herren, USA Los Angeles Rams Training Camp Jul 23, 2025 Los Angeles, CA, USA Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Los Angeles Loyola Marymount University California United States, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20250723_lbm_al2_315
The newest departure of McVay’s coaching tree is Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur, Matt brother. LaFleur has coached for over 10 years in the NFL, usually following Shanahan from post to post.
The veteran NFL coach joined the Rams staff in 2023 and has helped the offense to two top-10 scoring offenses in his three seasons as offensive coordinator, including the best offense in the league in 2025. LaFleur played a big part in helping lead Matthew Stafford to an MVP-caliber season.
The Cardinals named LaFleur their next head coach in early February. With uncertainty at quarterback, LaFleur will have a lot on his plate to help turn the Cardinals into contenders.
Raheem Morris: Former Atlanta Falcons head coach (2024-2025)
Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris had head coaching experience before joining McVay’s staff in 2021. Morris was formally the Buccaneers’ head coach and Falcons interim head coach.
The coaching veteran joined McVay’s staff to replace defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who was leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers head coach opening.
The Rams’ defense was top-10 in Morris’s first season, but remained middle of the pack for the rest of his time in Los Angeles. The Falcons reunited with Morris in 2024, naming him their head coach.
Morris was only with Atlanta for two seasons before being fired after back-to-back 8-9 seasons. The Falcons’ defenses over that span were towards the bottom half of the league.
Morris wasn’t out of a job for long, however, reuniting with Shanahan in San Francisco.
Brandon Staley: Former Los Angeles Chargers head coach (2021-2023)

USA Today via Reuters
Nov 12, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley looks on during the first half against the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Staley joined McVay’s staff in 2020 as their defensive coordinator after successful stints with the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos coaching staff.
He spent one season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, leading Los Angeles to the No. 1-ranked defense in 2020. The Los Angeles Chargers named Staley their next head coach exactly one year and one day after joining the Rams.
Staley never found success with the Chargers. Despite a 24-24 coaching record and a playoff appearance, it was often Staley who got in his own way. Bad clock management and coaching decisions, with a mediocre defense at best, led to his firing.
Staley quickly landed on his feet with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 in an assistant head coach role, before signing with the New Orleans Saints as their defensive coordinator.
Wes Phillips: Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator (2022-present)
Wes Phillips joined McVay’s staff in 2019 as tight ends coach. Phillips and McVay worked together in Washington in 2014 before reuniting again in 2019. When O’Connell departed for Minnesota in 2022, he brought Phillips with him to serve as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator.
Minnesota has had a top-10 offense twice with Phillips serving as the offensive coordinator, and he is a vital piece in the development of J.J. McCarthy.
Nick Caley: Houston Texans offensive coordinator (2025-present)

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NFL, American Football Herren, USA Houston Texans Minicamp Jun 10, 2025 Houston, TX, USA Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley looks on during an NFL football minicamp at NRG Stadium. Houston NRG Stadium TX USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMariaxLysakerx 20250610_mcl_la6_004
Nick Caley was a 10-year college coach before reaching the NFL ranks, where he spent eight seasons on the New England Patriots staff.
Caley joined McVay’s staff in 2023, where he served two years as a tight ends coach with one year of pass game coordinator mixed in.
The Houston Texans hired Caley as their offensive coordinator in 2025. In his one season leading the Texans offense, Houston ranked with the 19th-best yards per game and 13th-ranked points per game.
Star quarterback C.J. Stroud had a down year under Caley’s playcalling, but with a year of working together under his belt, Caley will look to get Stroud back to his rookie season form.
Shane Waldron: Chicago Bears offensive coordinator (2024-present)
Shane Waldron served under McVay’s staff from 2017 to 2020 as a tight ends coach and pass game coordinator. After four seasons with Los Angeles, Waldron made a move to the Seattle Seahawks to be their offensive coordinator. Seattle mostly had a middle-of-the-pack offense under Waldron, with the exception being a top-10 unit in 2022.
Waldron left the Seahawks coaching staff after Pete Carroll was fired and joined the Chicago Bears.
Waldron was fired from the Bears in the middle of his first season, marking the first time since 1970 that Chicago fired an OC midseason.
Zac Robinson: Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator (2026-present)

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NFL, American Football Herren, USA Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons Aug 15, 2025 Atlanta, Georgia, USA Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium Georgia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xBrettxDavisx 20250815_bdd_ad1_091
Zac Robinson‘s coaching career started with an assistant quarterbacks coaching role in McVay’s offense. Robinson held many different roles during his five seasons under McVay before making a move to Atlanta to be the Falcons’ offensive coordinator.
The Falcons had the 14th-best scoring offense in Robinson’s first season, but quickly declined as Atlanta had a bottom-10 offense in 2025.
After Morris was fired by the Falcons, Robinson made a lateral move in the division to become the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator.
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