When we released “The Playcallers” narrative podcast series about a year ago, its reach and the corresponding feedback were overwhelming in the best way. It wasn’t just that listeners were fascinated by the arc of some of the most popularized offenses and defenses of the modern NFL , but they also were drawn to the people. In creating the series, key goals were for people to hear Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, Raheem Morris and others share their relationships with football — and each other — and to show fans what it’s like to innovate and compete at the highest level.
Advertisement We also had help from assistant coaches, coordinators, analysts, front-office staff and personalities across the NFL and college football. Their insights and life experiences were invaluable to creating the series. So we started thinking .
.. We should try to amplify those voices — the people we don’t always see, whose fingerprints and ideas shape the sport we love.
What if we could take listeners inside the minds, offices, film sessions and meeting rooms of rising NFL personnel from every corner of every team? The “Bonus Batch” was born. GO DEEPER ‘The Playcallers’: Evolution of NFL's most popular offense In these three episodes — and hopefully more to come — listeners will hear from three young, talented assistant coaches who have something to contribute to the game. They are from different backgrounds.
Mike LaFleur is the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams . Though his last name is recognizable, his journey through the sport is unique. Jerrod Johnson is the Houston Texans’ quarterbacks coach.
He caught lightning in a bottle with his coaching of 2023 rookie of the year C.J. Stroud .
Jonathan Cooley is the defensive passing game coordinator for the Carolina Panthers . He leads a new wave of defensive assistant coaches trying to combat the most advanced passing concepts we’ve ever seen, but whose schematic savvy often is overlooked by offense-obsessed team owners during the hiring cycle. All three men sat down with The Athletic in the spring to dig into the real stuff.
From their wide-ranging personal backgrounds to their deep knowledge of schemes and personalities to their ideas about why things work and what comes next. We start with LaFleur and his many “aha” moments — first as the little brother to Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and then his development into the quirky, empathic and creative No. 2 for the Rams and their Super Bowl aspirations.
In Houston, we meet Johnson, the former record-setting collegiate quarterback who happened to have an eye for evaluating a great arm. Johnson’s mentorship and advocacy for Stroud, even before NFL teams had him on their radar, built a beautiful collaboration where the quarterbacks coach, the quarterback and a cutting-edge offense are building a postseason darling. Carolina has seen better days, defined by the most unbelievable feats an offense could achieve.
Now, the Panthers’ fan base may be warming to what the defense is capable of. Fans of “The Playcallers” narrative series know how the popular Vic Fangio defensive system has been applied with mixed results across the league. In Charlotte, Cooley has helped unlock what could become a more cutting-edge version of this scheme.
All three young coaches are in the middle of finding themselves as football minds and human beings in a sport that pushes a person like no other. We hope you enjoy “The Playcallers: the Bonus Batch.” If you want more “Bonus Batch” episodes, please leave us reviews and ratings on your preferred podcasting channel.
(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; photos of Jonathan Cooley, Mike LaFleur, Jerrod Johnson: Jared C. Tilton, Steph Chambers, John Rivera / Getty Images, ).
