Sean McVay had to replace his offensive coordinator again this offseason after Liam Coen left to join Kentucky’s staff for the second time in three years. He landed on Mike LaFleur, the former Jets offensive coordinator and brother of Sean’s friend, Matt LaFleur.
Mike LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan worked together with the Falcons and then with the 49ers, so they’re familiar with each other on and off the field. The same goes for McVay and Shanahan, who are good friends and enemies two Sundays a year.
While Shanahan is happy to see LaFleur land with the Rams, there’s also one part that’s annoying about it: McVay can take ideas from LaFleur that the 49ers used in the past.
“Sean can steal a lot of stuff from Mike now after he was with me for so long,” Shanahan told The Athletic. “So to tell you the truth, it’s kind of annoying.”
Shanahan did tell LaFleur when he was hired by the Rams that he’s “very happy” for him and “it’s going to be a better opportunity” for him, but he may not have thought completely about the implications of his former coordinator working for a divisional foe now.
LaFleur won’t call the plays with the Rams but he’ll be working closely with McVay every day of the week to help field the best offense possible. That includes trying to beat Shanahan and the 49ers twice a year.
