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Carolina Panthers: Five possible replacements for Ron Rivera

By Luke Tucker

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the first half against the New Orleans Saints during a NFL game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 30, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the first half against the New Orleans Saints during a NFL game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 30, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 24: The San Francisco 49ers take the field during player introductions prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 24: The San Francisco 49ers take the field during player introductions prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Mike LaFleur

If Greg Roman is a gamble, then Mike LaFleur is a complete and utter shot in the dark. In other words, LaFleur is a total wild card, and is an extremely raw, albeit exciting coaching candidate to watch for over the next few years. The 32-year-old brother of Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur, has spent his entire post-graduate career working as an offensive coach, and is currently employed as the 49ers’ passing-game coordinator. Including his time in San Francisco, he has worked under the likes of Mike Pettine, Dan Quinn, and Kyle Shanahan.

A hire of the younger LaFleur is very unlikely at this point in his career, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t begin to garner at least some attention in coaching circles. It’s true that he has never even served as a coordinator in the NFL, however, he is in a bit of a unique situation. Following three seasons as an offensive play-caller at the collegiate level, LaFleur has worked closely with Kyle Shanahan, following him from the Browns to the Falcons to the 49ers. It’s also worth mentioning that over that span (since 2014), Shanahan has become regarded as one of the best, if not the best, offensive coordinators in football. Little do most people know that LaFleur has been his right-hand man through it all, including the Super Bowl run with the Falcons in 2016, as well as the run the 49ers are currently on this season.

There’s almost no chance that LaFleur will be hired by the Panthers this season, or any other club for that matter, but that doesn’t mean it would be a huge surprise to see him get an interview or start to receive more attention over the next few seasons. As of now, he’s so unknown to most fans that Getty Images doesn’t have a single image of him in the entire database. Just by looking at who he’s worked under, LaFleur has almost certainly gained some valuable expertise from those guys, and while he’s incredibly young to even be considered for a head-coaching job in the NFL, Sean McVay proved with the Rams that age doesn’t matter. Don’t actually expect him to be hired as a head coach, but LaFleur is certainly a young offensive genius that is worth keeping an eye on.

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