A report from Jordan Schultz on Wednesday indicated that the Las Vegas Raiders are looking for an “offensive minded” coach to pair with likely first overall selection Fernando Mendoza.
Additionally, Schultz went on to mention the top three candidates seem to be Klint Kubiak, Davis Webb, and Jesse Minter. While Minter is a defensive minded coach, he can likely bring in a strong offensive minded coach from his connections with former Ravens and Michigan staffers. Additionally, the consensus around the NFL right now is the Raiders are more than willing to wait till after this weekend’s conference championships and if needed, the Super Bowl to hire a head coach. One name not mentioned by Schultz, but has risen in recent days is Rams OC Mike LaFleur. Lets take a look at the Raiders three reported finalists, their potential coaching staffs, and much more:
Experience
The 38 year old LaFleur has been all around the NFL and worked under Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and is the younger brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. The former Elmhurst QB got his start with his alma mater as a grad assistant in 2009 before continuing to work his way through the college ranks as a QB coach and offensive coordinator from 2010-2013 at St. Joseph’s and Davidson. His jump to the NFL came in 2014 as an intern with the Browns before moving to an assistant role with the Falcons in 2015-2016. His first real role came with the 49ers in 2017-2018 as the teams pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach before transitioning to solely a pass game coordinator in 2019-2020. In 2021, LaFleur was hired by now Titans HC, and then Jets, Robert Saleh as the offensive coordinator till 2022. In 2023, following his firing by the Jets, LaFleur became the Rams OC.
San Francisco 49ers (2017-2018)
In his first season with the 49ers, the team saw their RPO usage shoot up 2%, a high mark for that period in the NFL and the team saw an increase of 21% of their 12+ yard pass attempts. Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin posted 56 receptions, 962 yards, and 2 TD and Pierre Garcon logged 40 receptions, 500 yards, and 0 touchdowns. In 2018, the 49ers continued to struggle going 4-12 but their offensive passing game did see more increases in RPO usage though under Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard they struggled to push the ball downfield but pre snap motion rose 8%. Despite the struggles rookie receiver Kendrick Bourne posted 42 receptions, 487 yards, and 4 touchdowns with fellow receiver Dante Pettis posting 27 receptions, 467 yards, and 5 TD.
San Francisco 49ers (2019-2020)
In his first season solely as pass game coordinator, Jimmy Garoppolo tossed 3978 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while finishing 8th in big time throw rate. Additionally, the 49ers saw their rate of play action increase 4% from 2018 along with more continued RPO rate to 17% which led the NFL. Additionally, the 49ers led the NFL in yards after catch, largely in principle to new passing concepts that allowed the receiver to get into space and set up blockers naturally downfield. The 49ers earned the nickname “rac bros”. In 2020, the 49ers pre snap motion rate grew again as did their RPO usage and the team went 6-10 largely in part to a lack of quarterback play due to injuries from Jimmy Garoppolo and the offense being lead by Nick Mullens. San Francisco continued to see success on offense in RAC, 8-14 yard attempts, pre snap motion, and RPO usage that would translate to pivoting the offense going forward in 2021 and beyond.
New York Jets (2021-2022)
LaFleur was named the Jets OC in 2021 under Robert Saleh and to say he struggled was an understatement. In 2021 the Jets finished 26th in yards, 28th in points/game, 32nd in rushing offense, and 18th in passing offense. Their overall EPA was 24th and DVOA was 18th. The Jets were bottom 7 in both third down conversion, fourth down conversion, and last on average yards needed on 3rd down. The offense was far from talented though with QB Zach Wilson tossing a 55% completion rate, 2334 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions and their leading rusher, Michael Carter ,posted just 639 yards on 147 attempts. The offense did rank 4th in RPO usage, 9th in pre snap motion, and just 22nd in play action
2022 saw improvements but the team ranked 29th in points/game, 25th in yards/game, 24th in rushing offense, and 18th in passing offense. The Jets also ranked 22nd in offensive EPA and 20th in DVOA so the unit saw some improvements over time. The teams struggled with QB play with Zach Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco going a combined 357/627, 3723 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Rookie Breece Hall posted 80 attempts, 463 yards, and 4 touchdowns before a season ending injury. The team continued to rank high in RPO and pre snap motion but struggled to gain much with a severe lack of quarterback play behind Wilson and others.
Los Angeles Rams (2023-Current)
Following his firing in 2022, the Rams hired LaFleur for a similar role and in 2023 and 2024 he served primarily as an offensive assistant and Rams coach Sean McVay called plays and handle the majority of his duties as usual. The Rams finished 7th in total offense in 2023 and 15th in 2024 while also having a strong rushing attack in 2023 before ranking 24th in yards/game in 2024. The Rams continued to see an uptick in RPO, quick screens, and the 8-14 yard attempts that LaFleur has instilled since his time with the 49ers as a pass game coordinator. In 2025, McVay started passing play call duties onto LaFleur at times and the Rams offense saw immediate success with the return of Puka Nacua from injury, addition of Davante Adams, but notably an increase in the usage of the TE, wide spread concepts, and an increase in their 13 personnel usage to an NFL lead 24.8% which was 1st by 17%. The Rams finished the season with the 1st ranked offense in points and yards a game while being 7th in rushing yards/game, 1st in pass yards/game and 1st in touchdowns as well. They ranked 2nd in DVOA, 1st in EPA, and 1st in team WAR. The Rams YAC increased by 7.4% from 2024 to 2025 and 11% from 2023. Veteran quarterback Matt Stafford, who many have compared Fernado Mendoza too, led the NFL with 4707 yards and 47 touchdowns along with 236 passing first downs. Runningbacks Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for nearly 400 attempts for 1998 yards and 16 touchdowns along with 118 first downs. Puka Nacua led the NFL in receptions with 129 for 1715 yards and 10 touchdowns and an NFL leading 80 first downs. Additionally, free agent addition Davante Adams added an NFL leading 14 touchdowns. The Rams saw four tight ends, (Colby Parkinson with 408, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferugson, and Davis Allen) all post over 200 yards due to the heavy increase in 13 personnel for the Rams in 2025 along with an increase in 12 as well. The rates were career highs for Sean McVay and something he’s credited LaFleur with.
Philosophy:
LaFleur is very vocal on his emphasis for RPO and pre snap motion, something that no doubt has been compounded from his time under Kyle Shannahan and Sean McVay. Additionally, LaFleur implements a mix of 11 and 13 personnel with rare 12 personnel sets. His offense’s focus on similar aspects of the Rams and 49ers and will likely mirror those along with the Vikings. LaFleur has developed under numerous top offensive minds and focuses on quick pass attempts with a heavy emphasis on 8-12 yard depth of targets with natural blocking to create YAC opportunities. The Rams frequently put a TE in the slot when designing an RPO style concept to focus the TE into space and create yards post catch. With Las Vegas, expect that to continue with Brock Bowers who would likely see a vast majority of time at H-Back or slot. Additionally, LaFleur emphasizes pre snap progressions and post snap natural left to right reading to help prevent overthinking and indicate a past look is likely a done target to adjust elsewhere. The focus is a zone blocking run game that is adapted to create more misdirection and natural blocking to get downfield and create plays.
Potential Assistant Coaches
LaFleur hired now Rams assistant Rob Calabrese as his QB coach in New York and since the 25 year old has spent 2024 and 2025 with the Rams as an assistant QB coach. Veteran coach Jon Embree could be a name to follow as well, while Embree has no direct connection with LaFleur the veteran coach has served as the Dolphins assistant HC and TE coach since 2022 and also worked with LaFleur in San Francisco for 2017-2020 as the 49ers assistant HC and TE coach as well. His son, Taylor Embree has served as the Jets RB coach under LaFleur in 2021-2023 and the Patriots RB coach in 2024. Former Chiefs WR coach Connor Embree could join his dad and brother in an assistant role after being fired by the Chiefs this off-season. Former NFL player Ben Wilkerson who spent 2005-2009 with the Bengals, Falcons, and Browns could be a name to watch at OL coach after serving with LaFleur in New York as well. Steelers WR coach Zach Azzanni has connections to LaFleur and others mentioned from his year in New York (2023) and has been widely reviewed as a top WR coach in the NFL working with the 2017 Bears, 2018-2022 Broncos, and 2024/2025 Steelers. Rams assistant and former center Brian Allen could be a name to watch as well after playing for LaFleur. A notable name as well is Rams QB coach Dave Ragone who worked with the Falcons for 2021-2023 and has overseen Matt Stafford since 2024.
Players to Watch, Connections:
The Rams notably have veteran safety Kam Curl hitting free agency and his addition to Las Vegas would make sense as Curl ahs connections with Jeremy Chinn but it’s tough to see Los Angeles letting him walk. Additionally, veteran offensive players Rob Havenstein could be a one year stop gap at WR with tight end Tyler Higbee a solid depth addition for the Raiders to help build out the room. Wide receiver Tutu Atwell is similar to Tre Tucker but has seen incredible success with LaFleur over the last 1.5 seasons. Jets runningback Breece Hall saw immediate success under LaFleur in 2022 but it’s tough to see the Raiders adding another runningback outside a depth option for a pairing with Ashton Jeanty. 2021 Jets rookies Alijah Vera-Tucker is a name to watch as well.
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