April 2, 2026, 12:04 p.m. PT

Sean McVay probably knew there was a good chance Mike LaFleur would leave for a head coaching opportunity this offseason after the Los Angeles Rams finished with the league’s best offense. And knowing that was a possibility, he likely zeroed in on Nate Scheelhaase as LaFleur’s replacement early in the process.

Though it took some time for the announcement to become official, McVay did wind up promoting Scheelhaase to offensive coordinator, his first opportunity to hold that title in the NFL. It was an obvious move to many fans and analysts, and even LaFleur knew it was a home run hire by the Rams.

“I’ve been on record there in L.A. a lot just talking about what I feel in Nate Scheelhaase, so that was a no-brainer,” LaFleur told Stu Jackson of TheRams.com at the annual league meeting this week. “Obviously, he’s prepped for that. He sat in with Sean and I in a handful of game-planning (meetings) and stuff like that, so he kind of knows what that 3 a.m. wake-up call looks like Wednesday through Friday. But he’s a stud of a coach. He’s a better person. He’s a better connector than he is even a coach, and that’s strong, and he’s going to do a great job for them.”

Scheelhaase has been a hot coaching candidate since last offseason when he interviewed for both the Jaguars’ and Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator jobs. He ultimately stayed with the Rams and this winter, he interviewed for multiple head coaching positions, including the first interview request by the Steelers after Mike Tomlin stepped down.

The Rams were fortunate to retain him last year and even luckier to keep him this offseason, giving him well-deserved promotions each time. It’ll probably prove more difficult to keep him in L.A. next offseason if the Rams put up eye-popping numbers on offense again, as it’s seemingly just a matter of time before he becomes a head coach.

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Scheelhaase, 35, first joined the Rams in 2024 as an offensive assistant and pass game specialist after one year as Iowa State’s offensive coordinator. He’s earned a promotion each step of the way, and “head coach” could be the next title on his already impressive resume.