The Los Angeles Rams have experienced plenty of turnover on their coaching staff over the years as former assistants Liam Coen, Matt LaFleur, Raheem Morris, Kevin O’Connell, Brandon Staley and Zac Taylor all became head coaches elsewhere.
The Rams could once again be in that position this offseason with defensive coordinator Chris Shula, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase all receiving significant interest from other teams.
According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, multiple teams have reached out to the Rams for permission to interview Shula, LaFleur and Scheelhaase for their respective head coach vacancies:
Demand for Rams' assistants 📈📈📈
Per sources …
• DC Chris Shula has requests from Cards, Raiders, Titans, Giants, Ravens and Dolphins.
• PGC Nathan Scheelhaase has requests from Raiders, Browns and Ravens.
• OC Mike LaFleur has requests from the Raiders and Cards.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 11, 2026
Shula has been the most popular Rams assistant so far as the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans all want to interview him.
Scheelhaase, a rising star in the NFL coaching ranks, has interview requests from the Cleveland Browns, Raiders and Ravens. LaFleur will also speak to the Cardinals and Raiders about their respective head coach openings.
Because the Rams are still playing, the aforementioned teams won’t be able to conduct virtual interviews until Tuesday. Furthermore, in-person interviews won’t be able to be held until Jan. 19. That will be tough to manage as the Rams assistants also prepare for playoff games, but that’s just the nature of today’s NFL.
Rams’ Chris Shula open to head coaching opportunities
Shula has been part of the Rams organization for nearly a decade and took over the defensive coordinator role in 2024 when Raheem Morris left for the Atlanta Falcons.
While Shula has enjoyed working alongside head coach Sean McVay, he would be open to becoming a head coach himself if the opportunity presents itself.
“I think that’s the goal of any coach that wants to be in the league, you want to take yourself to the highest profession,” Shula said earlier this season. “That doesn’t mean you’re going to walk away for any single opportunity.
“I love it here, my family loves it here, we’ve been here 9-10 years, coaching with my best friends, we obviously have a great group of players and a great staff. So for the right opportunity we’ll see. But like I said, not really thinking too much about that.”
