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.
Time for a change. Their roles have run their course in GB. No different with all the other openings in the league.
Lord please fire this man. His conservative play calling after having a sizable lead has cost us countless games. McManus blowing the kicks isn’t his fault. Consistent 3 and out with play calling that’s so predictable ie: run up the middle for no gain instead of faking it and rolling out is inexcusable.
I don’t think he trusts his QB. The Love contract was a mistake. The GM should go too. That mistake will set them back a few years.
He didn’t trust Rodgers either? Because he did it with him too. It’s just who he is. Learned behavior. He was there for 28-3 in Atlanta.
Lafraud is 3-6 in the playoffs. He won’t change his awful second half playcalling. Get rid of him
People, HC didn’t muff the punt reception near the goal line nor fumble the ball inside the 5 yard marker so close to scoring and didn’t see him screw up the ondide kick coverage.
Add in the helmet hit to his starting QBs face mask and subsequent concussion that brought out QB 2.
Yes defense could have been better but that can be said of most teams games as every fan wants their team to pop a shutout.
Thought GB was going to win until the WR couldn’t secure the onside kick – obviously he was ‘frightened’ by the Bears ‘bearing’ down on him and lost grasp of his responsibility.
Inexcusable to lose a game with two takeways, no turnovers and the Bears shooting themselves time after time on 4th down.
The Packers have one only one playoff game going back to 2020/21.
Except when they didn’t shoot themselves. There were 6 other coaches who couldn’t stop the Bears in the 4th quarter this season either. Next thing you’re gonna say is the Bears were just lucky.
The Bears were just lucky … haha
LaFleur and Gutey must both be fired. Gutey has had too many high draft pick and FA busts leaving the roster with no depth. The CBs, DL, and OL wouldn’t be starting on any other team. The bad clock and game management, undisciplined and inexcusable penalties, failure to make in game adjustments, and game after game, season after season failure to fix mistakes all fall under LaFleur. He fails to have any focus on ST year after year. LaFleur can be a good OC, but not a HC. Green Bay is built as a finesse team, and they consistently get bullied and taken off their game plans too easily. The lines are too soft and cannot put anyone away. LaFleur shows no killer instinct to put teams away, and that style leadership has infected the entire team.
It is time for a change at GM and coaching staff. GB will not be a championship team with the status quo.
LaFleur over Gutey. Gutey has done a much better job in his role than LaFleur has done in his. His FA pickups have been solid plus he traded for parsons
I’d say Gutey is a mixed bag with FAs. Jacobs, McKinney are studs. Banks, Hobbs, McManus are expensive busts.
And Gutey’s fist round draft failures are painful. In today’s NFL, first rounders shouldn’t take 3 years to even crack a starting lineup.
GB played a great game up until the 4th Q. Don’t forget they lost TE Kraft who was a huge outlet for that offense and lost Parsons. Also had other starters out. Isn’t LaFleur’s fault the K blew it. Overall he did a good job with that team with what they had.
The kicker had a bad game, but the last 8 minutes of the game, the Packers defense couldnt cover a mattress.
Bears have a lot of talent on offense. Caleb just made throws when he needed to. Sometimes you just get outplayed. But that doesn’t change how LaFleur coached throughout the season.
He had a solid game plan that worked.. in the first half, but second half was a different story and it’s like he became complacent and had no answers for the bears, it’s time to move on from him. He rode Rodgers coattails for 4 seasons but he’s better suited to be a QB coach then head coach
send both packing
Epic collapse by GB
Bears handed them the game on a silver platter
Played lazy entire 2nd half
K who missed 2 fg & x pt should be cut
That was the worst second half collapse I’ve seen since the Broncos scored 25 points on the Giants in their regular season comeback win.
I think they know what they need to do.