Packers Expected To Extend GM Brian Gutekunst, HC Matt LaFleur

The Packers are working toward contract extensions with general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Both Gutekunst and LaFleur are expected to reach agreements with the team.

As things stand, Gutekunst and LaFleur are unsigned beyond 2026. It’s no surprise the Packers are nearing extensions with the two, however, as CEO Ed Policy made it known last summer he’s against allowing GMs and head coaches reaching lame-duck status.

“I’m generally opposed — I’d never say never — [but] I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,” Policy said. “That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left — not always, but normally.”

As a Packers employee since 1999, the 52-year-old Gutekunst has spent approximately half of his life with the organization. He worked in scouting roles until taking over for Ted Thompson as the team’s GM in 2018. A Super Bowl appearance has eluded the franchise since then, but the Packers have gone to the postseason in six of Gutekunst’s eight years at the helm.

Less than a year after Gutekunst assumed the reins, he fired longtime head coach Mike McCarthy in December 2018. The ensuing head coaching search led to the hiring of LaFleur, then the Titans’ offensive coordinator. The Packers have gone a resoundingly successful 76-40-1 under LaFleur in the regular season. However, they’ve struggled to a 3-6 mark in the playoffs.

The Packers’ 2025 season ended with a wild-card round meltdown against the archrival Bears, who overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit to escape with a 31-27 win. There was some uncertainty about LaFleur’s status in the immediate aftermath, but another report indicated he’d land an extension. It appears that will be the case despite the Packers’ season finishing with five straight losses. They went 9-7-1 in the regular season after starting 9-3-1.

The Gutekunst-LaFleur duo produced 13-win seasons and NFC North titles in each of their first three seasons, but the Packers’ results have been less impressive in recent years. They compiled an 8-9 mark in 2022, future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers last season in Green Bay, and have combined for a 29-21-1 record and no division crowns in three seasons since then.

Gutekunst found the Packers’ third straight franchise QB in Jordan Love, the 26th pick in 2020, and that no doubt earned the executive a longer leash. All indications are he and LaFleur will continue working together in Green Bay for the foreseeable future.

Wink Martindale, Jim Leonhard, DeMarcus Covington Among Jets’ DC Interviewees

The Jets’ defensive coordinator search has flown under the radar during a frenzied HC carousel, but it has taken shape Friday. The team announced eight candidates for the job.

In addition to interim DC Chris Harris, seven others received interviews. Don Martindale (Michigan), Jim Leonhard (Broncos), Ephraim Banda (Browns), Jim O’Neil (Lions), DeMarcus Covington (Packers), Daronte Jones (Vikings) and Mathieu Araujo (Dolphins) interviewed for the position.

Harris was reported as being likely to interview to keep the job, one he took on after the Steve Wilks firing, and Martindale came up as a candidate as well. The Jets submitted an interview request for Jones. Otherwise, their actions have been pretty quiet on this front.

Entering his rookie season as a head coach, Aaron Glenn tapped the experienced Wilks as his first defensive coordinator. The decision worked out so poorly that Glenn gave Wilks the ax in mid-December. Wilks lost his job the day after a 48-20 blowout loss to the Jaguars in Week 15.

The results didn’t necessarily improve in three games under Harris, who opened 2025 as the team’s defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. With Harris taking over for Wilks, the Jets surrendered a combined 106 points in losses to the Saints, Patriots and Bills.

Although Buffalo rested most of its key offensive players in Week 18, its Mitchell Trubisky-quarterbacked offense still teed off on the Jets for 470 total yards and 35 points. The Jets didn’t pick off Trubisky in that game, clinching an interception-less season for their defense. They became the first team to achieve that ignominious feat. While Harris is at least receiving consideration for a promotion to the full-time job, it would be a surprise to see the Jets choose him over the rest of the field.

Nobody from this octet carries more experience than the 62-year-old Martindale, most recently a D-coordinator at Michigan over the past two seasons. He has been a DC in the NFL for three teams – the Broncos (2010), the Ravens (2018-21) and the Giants (2022-23). Martindale’s Giants tenure ended after a rift with then-head coach Brian Daboll. The two got into a fiery confrontation before parting ways.

O’Neil and Covington join Martindale as former D-coordinators in the NFL. A defensive assistant in Detroit since 2024, O’Neil handled DC duties in Cleveland from 2014-15 and in San Francisco in 2016. He’s also a former Jets coach, having worked in multiple roles under Rex Ryan from 2009-12. Covington was the Patriots’ DC in 2024 under one-and-done head coach Jerod Mayo. He’s now the Packers’ defensive line coach and run game coordinator.

An NFL safety from 2005-2014, Leonhard spent three seasons as a member of Ryan’s defense in New York. The 43-year-old started his coaching career with Wisconsin in 2016. He worked as the Badgers’ DC from 2017-22.

Leonhard is now in his second season with the Broncos, who hired him as a defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator last year. Sean Payton promoted Leonhard to assistant head coach this season.

With the top-seeded Broncos chasing a championship, Leonhard may be a few weeks away from earning a Super Bowl ring as a key part of their staff. He’s also on the Cowboys’ radar as they search for a new D-coordinator.

Banda and Jones are also in the mix for the Dallas job. Previously a college DC at Miami and Utah State, Banda has been the Browns’ safeties coach since 2023. He fulfilled his interview request with the Cowboys today, too, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.

Jones, LSU’s coordinator in 2021, has coached in the pros with the Dolphins, Bengals and Vikings since 2016. He started his second Vikings stint in 2022 and has worked as a defensive pass game coordinator under DC Brian Flores since 2023. Flores, whose contract has expired, could leave for another job as a head coach or an assistant. If that happens, the Vikings may promote Jones to replace Flores.

Araujo was on the Yale staff before then-Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel hired him as an assistant DBs coach in 2022. He spent the past two seasons as Miami’s cornerbacks coach, but Araujo’s future is uncertain in the wake of McDaniel’s firing. If the Jets don’t hire Araujo and the Dolphins’ next head coach doesn’t retain him, he’ll have to look elsewhere in 2026.

Along with failing to record an INT, the Jets finished the year a lowly 25th in total defense and 31st in scoring. Their next defensive coordinator will have his work cut out in improving the unit, especially after the Jets traded cornerstone lineman Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner before the Nov. 4 deadline. The Jets received a haul of picks in those deals, though, and they’ll enter the offseason with a hefty amount of cap space. Between their draft capital and spending room, Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will be in position to give the team’s next defensive coordinator more to work with in 2026.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Micah Parsons Doesn’t Expect To Open 2026 On IR; Week 3 Return Possible

Then 9-3-1 and riding a four-game winning streak, Green Bay was rolling heading into Denver for a Week 15 clash with the Broncos. The wheels began falling off for the Packers that afternoon in a 34-26 defeat. Adding injury to insult, the Packers lost their best defensive player, superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons, to a torn ACL.

Parsons’ injury was a fatal blow to the Packers, who failed to win a game without him. They closed the regular season with four straight defeats before limping into a wild-card matchup against the archrival Bears. The Packers stormed out to a 21-3 halftime lead, but the Bears flipped the script in the second half and pulled off a shocking 31-28 win.

While the Packers are stewing over a brutal end to their season, they at least received some good news earlier this week. Parsons said he doesn’t expect to open the 2026 campaign on injured reserve, per Ryan Wood of USA Today. Doing so would keep Parsons out for at least four games, but he’s aiming to make his season debut in either Week 3 or Week 4.

After beginning his career in Dallas, where he earned first-team All-Pro honors three times in four years, Parsons joined the Packers with great fanfare last summer in a stunning late-August trade. Months of drama between Parsons and owner Jerry Jones culminated in the Cowboys sending the 26-year-old to the Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers immediately handed Parsons a four-year, $188MM extension with $136MM in guarantees.

Parsons lived up to the hype and the mammoth contract in his first 14 games as a Packer. With 12.5 sacks, he became the first player to amass a dozen or more in each of his first five seasons. He also tallied 79 pressures, 26 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Parsons ended the year as Pro Football Focus’ third-ranked edge rusher out of 188 qualifiers. In PFF’s estimation, only Myles Garrett and Will Anderson had better seasons than Parsons, who made his fifth straight Pro Bowl.

Parsons underwent successful knee surgery on Dec. 29. Barring setbacks, a healthy return will go a long way in helping the Packers rebound from a 2025 campaign that started with promise but ended with a collapse. Parsons’ absence proved crucial during a four-game stretch in which the Packers mustered just four sacks.

Cowboys To Interview Christian Parker, Charlie Bullen, DeMarcus Covington For DC Job

The Cowboys’ search for a new defensive coordinator continues to expand.

Dallas will interview Eagles pass game coordinator Christian Parker and Giants interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen on Thursday, with Packers run game coordinator DeMarcus Covington scheduled for Friday, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Parker, 34, spent six years as a college coach before getting his first NFL job with the Packers. He then serves as the Broncos’ defensive backs coach from 2021 to 2023 before taking on his current position in Philadelphia. In Denver, he played a crucial role in the development of cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss. Similarly, he oversaw the breakout rookie seasons by Eagles cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in 2024.

Bullen, 42, has NFL experience with the Dolphins and Cardinals as well as some time in college at Iowa and Illinois. He was hired as the Giants outside linebackers coach in 2024 and quickly integrated Brian Burns into the Giants’ pass rush following his trade from the Panthers. Bullen then took over the team’s interim DC after Shane Bowen was fired in November. The unit improved significantly at the end of the year, allowing just 33 points in their last three games.

Covington, 36, spent four years at the college level before an eight-year stint in New England. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2024 but was not retained on Mike Vrabel‘s new staff. Covington went to Green Bay in the offseason and held the defensive line together after the departure of Kenny Clark and injuries to multiple key players. He could be promoted to replace defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley if he leaves for a head coaching job, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Parker, Bullen, and Covington are the latest additions to a long list of candidates for the Cowboys’ DC job. Other requested or scheduled interviewees include former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr, Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones, Broncos defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard and their own defensive line coach, Aaron Whitecotton.

Steelers Request HC Interview With Packers DC Jeff Hafley

The Steelers requested to interview Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley for their head coaching vacancy, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Hafley, 46, has become one of the most popular head coaching candidates in this year’s hiring cycle. He came up as a defensive backs coach with multiple college programs before making the jump to the NFL in 2012. After seven seasons with three different teams, he returned to college as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator, which he quickly parlayed into a four-year stint as Boston College’s head coach.

In 2024, the Packers made a bold move to fire defensive coordinator Joe Barry, despite his solid results in his three years in charge. They installed Hafley as his replacement in the hopes that he could turn a good unit into a great one.

He succeeded. In Hafley’s debut year, the Packers finished sixth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed, both significant improvements from their 2023 rankings. They took a step back to 11th and 12th this year, though losing Micah Parsons – arguably the best defensive player in the NFL – to a torn ACL certainly contribute to some of their struggles down the stretch.

Hafley’s players have generally given him rave reviews, specifically regarding his ability to build relationships with his players. That was a hallmark of Mike Tomlin‘s 19 years in Pittsburgh and something the franchise will likely look for in his successor. He has also worked with both Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan, giving him some connections he can call on when building his staff. His recent history at Boston College may also give him a stronger chance of bringing some college coaching talent to the NFL.

Hafley has also received head coaching interest from the Cardinals, Falcons, Raiders, Dolphins, Titans, and Giants, though that last job no longer seems to be available. Here’s a full overview of the Steelers’ current candidates:

Vikings Assistant Mike Pettine To Retire

Brian Flores or a Vikings DC successor will not have Mike Pettine around for experienced help in 2026, however. The veteran staffer is retiring, Kevin O’Connell announced Tuesday.

Pettine, 59, has coached in the NFL since 2002. He rose to a head coaching seat in 2014 (with the Browns) and has been a coordinator in a few cities. He had been on O’Connell’s Minnesota staff since 2022, working under Ed Donatell and then Flores as an assistant head coach.

Jumping from the high school level to a Ravens assistant in 2002, Pettine became a defensive coordinator in 2009. The Jets, Bills and Packers employed Pettine as a DC. He started out in that position with the Jets under Rex Ryan. Pettine played a key role in the Jets making back-to-back AFC championship game appearance, as Revis Island formed to bolster Gang Green’s defense-powered operation in Ryan’s early years. Pettine stayed on as New York’s DC for four seasons before moving to Buffalo under Doug Marrone. Following that season, the Browns concluded a slow-moving HC search by naming him their next leader.

Pettine’s first year in Cleveland (2014) brought some unexpected success. Despite Jimmy Haslam overreach leading to a Johnny Manziel first-round selection, Pettine had the Browns — who were without top receiver Josh Gordon for most of the 2014 season — at 7-4. Cleveland-area native Brian Hoyer had quarterbacked the Browns to that point, as Manziel needed extensive development before debuting. Pettine’s defense also ranked ninth that season. But Manziel received the call to start near the end of the year. The bottom fell out for the Browns, who finished 7-9, and Pettine’s 2015 season keyed a descent.

On- and off-field Manziel problems engulfed the Browns in 2015 — before the team cut the megabust. After letting Kyle Shanahan out of his OC contract following a 2014 one-off, Cleveland finished 3-13 in Pettine’s second season. The team used Manziel and free agent signing Josh McCown as their primary QBs, and ownership fired he and GM Ray Farmer. Pettine resurfaced with the Seahawks as a consultant in 2017 and with the Packers as their DC by 2018.

In charge of two Packers defenses that appeared in NFC championship games, Pettine lasted three seasons in Green Bay. Pettine’s 2019 and ’20 Green Bay defenses ranked ninth and 13th, respectively, in scoring, but NFC title game letdowns ensued. Raheem Mostert ran wild on the Packers in the 2019 conference championship round, producing the second-most playoff rushing yards in NFL history, and the Packers gave up 31 points to the Tom Brady-piloted Buccaneers a year later in a home loss.

Although the Pack intercepted three Brady passes in the second half of that game, the team did not renew his contract in 2021. He worked as a Bears assistant under Matt Nagy before trekking to Minnesota. Pettine served as outside linebackers coach with the Vikings, who had two Pro Bowl OLBs (Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel) in 2024, over the past two seasons.

Packers, Matt LaFleur Expected To Reach Extension Agreement

With the Packers’ season now over, attention will turn to the future of their coaching staff. Head coach Matt LaFleur is currently under contract for one more season, but that could change very soon.

Leading up to Green Bay’s wild-card game on Saturday, it was reported LaFleur was not coaching for his job and that extension talks would occur after the season ended. To no surprise, then, the seven-year HC said yesterday that he and president Ed Policy spoke briefly with one another after the Packers’ loss to the Bears. He added further talks would be coming shortly, and that is indeed the case.

Efforts will be made to work out a new LaFleur contract over the coming days, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. He adds the sides are expected to reach an agreement. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network also anticipates a deal being struck (video link). Policy is known to prefer coaches and GMs not operating in a lame-duck situation, so the status of general manager Brian Gutekunst – also under contract through 2026 – will be worth watching. It was reported yesterday that LaFleur and Gutekunst are not a package deal.

That leaves the door open to a number of possibilities in the Packers’ case. The team reeled off three straight 13-win campaigns at the beginning of LaFleur’s tenure. That was followed by an 8-9 season and the transition to Jordan Love at quarterback. Green Bay has reached the playoffs in each of Love’s three seasons as QB1; the Packers have just one postseason victory during that span, however. Overall, LaFleur has a regular-season winning percentage of .654 but a playoff record of 3-6.

“I mean, this is one of one,” the 46-year-old said of his desire to remain in Green Bay (via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette). “I love this place… I love our players, the locker room, everybody in our organization. I mean, this is a unique place. The community has been outstanding.”

There are currently eight head coaching vacancies around the NFL. LaFleur would join John Harbaugh as one of the top candidates on the market in the event of a firing, and Rapoport confirms teams are monitoring his situation. A dismissal would come as a surprise at this point, however. Talks producing a new agreement appears to be a far likelier outcome with negotiations set to take place.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/12/26

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

Packers HC Matt LaFleur’s Status Uncertain; LaFleur, GM Brian Gutekunst Not A “Package Deal”

11:08pm: When speaking to the media today, LaFleur said (via Demovsky) he and Policy spoke briefly on the flight home from Chicago. LaFleur added further talks are expected tonight or tomorrow, and one of the topics brought up will no doubt be his future in the organization.

11:08am: Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was unwilling to discuss his future in the aftermath of his team’s devastating loss to the Bears in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. That has not stopped the rest of the NFL world from discussing it, and according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the situation is unclear.

Before the game, we learned the Packers and LaFleur would have conversations about an extension after the season, and the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also said LaFleur was not coaching for his job in the playoffs. That suggested LaFleur would be back in Green Bay for 2026 and beyond.

However, in their loss to Chicago, the Packers squandered an 18-point halftime lead and gave up 25 points in the fourth quarter alone. LaFleur should not be blamed for Brandon McManus’ missed kicks (two FGs and a PAT) or a Caleb Williams fourth-down conversion that will be forever cemented in Bears lore, but the defeat adds to a recent string of disappointing finishes.

LaFleur guided the Packers to 13-win campaigns in each of his first three seasons at the helm, and he successfully facilitated a monumental quarterback transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. On the other hand, Green Bay has now lost three straight playoff games and has not won the NFC North since 2021. Even so, Albert Breer of SI.com believes the team would not consider a coaching change under normal circumstances, though he acknowledges LaFleur’s contract situation could complicate matters.

LaFleur, 46, is presently under contract through 2026, and team president Ed Policy has made it plain that he (like most team execs) does not want to have his head coach or general manager go into a season with just one year remaining on their deals. Despite a regression from LaFleur’s stellar start to his Packers tenure, he is in line for a raise and could command $15MM or more per season. Breer openly wonders whether Policy is willing to authorize such a deal at this point (it is believed that LaFleur is presently earning less than $10MM per year, per Demovsky).

General manager Brian Gutekunst’s contract also runs through 2026, and Demovsky confirms the GM and HC are not a package deal. If Policy elects to retain one and fire the other, Demovsky believes Gutekunst would be on more solid ground. Indeed, league sources said if Gutekunst returns, he will have more authority than he currently has (when former team president Mark Murphy hired Gutekunst in 2018, he deviated from the club’s longstanding HC-GM-team reporting structure and had both the HC and the GM report directly to the president).

As Demovsky acknowledges, there are a wide variety of outcomes here, including a LaFleur extension – which may come with conditions of staff changes and/or giving up his offensive play-calling duties – an outright firing, or a trade. One way or another, a speedy resolution is expected, and if LaFleur does become available, he would immediately become a top candidate for other teams in need of a new HC, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (video link).

The Falcons, who recently hired Matt Ryan as their “president of football,” certainly profile as a logical landing spot, since LaFleur worked in Atlanta as Ryan’s quarterbacks coach during the 2015-16 seasons. And, if the Packers move on from LaFleur, they could jump to the top of John Harbaugh’s list of preferred destinations.

There has been plenty of chatter connecting Harbaugh to the Giants. But as Schefter and ESPN colleague Jordan Raanan observe, Bob Harlan’s son, Bryan, is Harbaugh’s agent. Bob Harlan joined the Packers as assistant general manager in 1971, served as president and CEO from 1989-2006, and has been a chairman emeritus since 2008. Plus, Green Bay has a talented quarterback and roster, and Raanan classifies Harbaugh as a “Midwest guy at heart.”

LaFleur will address reporters at 4pm CT on Sunday. There may or may not be more clarity on his status at that time, though the Green Bay job would threaten the Ravens’ and Giants’ gigs as the most appealing vacancies on the market if it opens up.

Raiders, Dolphins Request HC Interview With Jeff Hafley

Jeff Hafley continues to draw notable head coaching interest around the NFL. The Packers‘ defensive coordinator has received another pair of HC interview requests.

The Raiders and Dolphins have submitted a slip for Hafley, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. That means five of the eight teams with a vacancy have requested an interview in this case. Hafley has already received a request from the Cardinals, Falcons and Titans.

Vegas had not previously been linked to interest on this front, though that had been the case for Miami. Nevertheless, Hafley will be among the busiest candidates in this year’s cycle as he speaks with numerous suitors. Virtual interviews can begin as early as Tuesday. The first in-person summits with interested teams can begin after the divisional round since Green Bay’s season is over.

The nature in which the Packers lost last night represents a notable blemish on Hafley’s resume. Green Bay surrendered 25 points in the fourth quarter as part of the team’s late-game blown lead. That resulted in the Packers’ losing streak extending to five games. Defensive struggles were common during that period, one which took place after Micah Parsons‘ ACL tear.

With Parsons in the lineup, however, Green Bay jumped out to a 9-3-1 start. Hafley’s defense was a key factor in that success. Overall, the Packers finished the season ranked 11th in points allowed despite missing Parsons and others down the stretch. In 2024 – Hafley’s first year with the team – Green Bay ranked No. 6 in scoring defense and fifth in yards allowed. That, coupled with the 46-year-old’s experience as a head coach (at Boston College from 2020-23), has seen him frequently named as one of the top options on the market for this year’s hiring cycle.

The Raiders were among the teams to make a head coaching change on ‘Black Monday’ by dismissing Pete Carroll after just one season in charge. At that point, it appeared as though Mike McDaniel would be safe in Miami. However, he too wound up being fired. Both teams have already begun interviews with some of their HC targets, and they will look to do the same with Hafley.

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