The first domino of the Green Bay Packers’ offseason has fallen. On Saturday night, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Green Bay and Matt LaFleur reached an agreement on a multi-year contract extension.
The Packers have gone 76–40–1 under LaFleur, with six playoff appearances across his first seven seasons as head coach. His .654 career winning percentage ranks 16th all-time, ahead of Andy Reid, Sean Payton, and Mike Tomlin — a reminder of just how consistently competitive Green Bay has been during his tenure.
However, that regular-season success hasn’t fully translated in January. The Packers are just 3–6 in the postseason over that span, including three consecutive playoff appearances as the NFC’s seventh seed and, most recently, a 31–27 Wild Card loss to the Chicago Bears — one of the most stunning and painful collapses the franchise has experienced this century.
Naturally, the collapse in Chicago sparked online speculation about LaFleur’s job security. However, those rumors never gained real traction inside the organization. Instead, Ed Policy opted for stability, extending the head coach rather than resetting the position. Still, it’s particularly telling that the Packers didn’t structure LaFleur’s extension as a prove-it deal, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. Green Bay is signaling long-term confidence rather than a short-term evaluation window.
The timing of the news was also notable, coming exactly one week after Green Bay’s season ended in Chicago. As the days passed, there was some quiet speculation about why negotiations appeared to stretch on, especially with the league’s head-coaching carousel already in motion.
From the outside, it was fair to wonder whether Green Bay risked putting itself in a difficult position. If the organization had even considered moving on from LaFleur, other teams were already conducting interviews, meaning the Packers would have been late to the coaching market.
But from LaFleur’s perspective — and that of his representation — there was little incentive to rush the process or accept a short-term arrangement. A modest extension would have offered minimal long-term security and little clarity about whether Green Bay was truly empowered through the next phase of its competitive window. In that light, the structure of the eventual deal makes sense because both sides avoided a scenario that would have left uncertainty lingering.
The deal’s structure also makes the next phase of LaFleur’s tenure especially intriguing. If Green Bay produces another underwhelming season — whether that means sneaking into the postseason as a low seed or missing it altogether — what would the perception of his body of work be entering 2027?
The Packers are in the midst of the longest NFC North title drought in the division, dating back to 2021. And without the league’s expansion to a seventh playoff seed, Green Bay would not have reached the postseason over the last four years.
It’s at least reasonable to wonder whether LaFleur now enters a rare situation around the league — a head coach playing out a season with a fresh extension while still operating under real external pressure. Extensions are typically meant to eliminate uncertainty, not coexist with it, and Green Bay’s recent results ensure that questions will linger regardless of contractual security.
Don’t get me wrong — Policy made the right move. If the Packers moved on from LaFleur, they would be committing to a long and uncertain coaching search, only to arrive at the same conclusion: The best option available on the market would likely be… Matt LaFleur. Around league circles, LaFleur is held in much higher regard than he is by much of the Packers fanbase, a gap that’s become increasingly prominent.
Jordan Love benefits most from LaFleur’s return, and he’s the most important player on the roster. Stability matters, particularly for a quarterback who has never operated in another NFL system. Just as importantly, the timing of LaFleur’s extension aligns with Green Bay’s current Super Bowl window, which should realistically remain open for at least the next three seasons.
It’s also worth noting that players inside Green Bay’s locker room were vocal in their support of LaFleur after the season collapsed. If the Packers ever decide to move in a different direction, it will be because he’s lost the locker room. That reality places more pressure on LaFleur than ever before. Organizations don’t make decisions solely based on public opinion, but if he comes up short again, the growing scrutiny from the outside will inevitably draw their attention.
