GREEN BAY — Matt LaFleur didn’t know as of Sunday afternoon if he’d continue to be the Green Bay Packers head coach next season. He also doesn’t know under what contract parameters he’ll do so if team president Ed Policy decides he wants to keep LaFleur in charge.
In fact, as he addressed reporters during a nearly half-hour Q&A session at Lambeau Field less than 24 hours after the team’s 31-27 season-ending, gut-wrenching NFC wild card playoff loss to the rival Chicago Bears, LaFleur was sure of only two things:
That he and Policy, with whom LaFleur said he’d “talked briefly” on the team’s flight back from Chicago, were scheduled to meet on Sunday night or sometime Monday, and that he very much wants to continue as the Packers head coach.
“Of course. I mean, this [job] is one of one. I love this place,” LaFleur said. “I love the people. As much as you guys [in the media] drive me nuts sometimes, I love you guys. I love our players, the locker room, everybody in our organization. I mean, this is a unique place.
“The community has been outstanding. I grew up in the Midwest, and it’s got the same type of vibe that I grew up with in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The people, unless you’re from here, you don’t understand how friendly everybody is. No matter who you are, you’re walking down the street and people say hello to one another. And I’ve lived other places.
“This is a unique place, and it’s a special place. My kids love it here, my family loves it here.”
Asked to describe his relationship with Policy, who took over as president last summer after Mark Murphy, his predecessor and the man who hired LaFleur in 2019, reached the Packers’ mandatory retirement age of 70, LaFleur replied, “It feels like since the day I got here and he’s been great. He’s been super supportive and I can’t say enough great things about him.”
But just as he had in the immediate aftermath of Saturday night’s loss to the Bears, LaFleur sidestepped questions about his future, including whether he expects to be back next season, which would be the last year of his existing contract; whether he’d be willing to coach next season without an extension and become a coaching free-agent in 2027; or why he believes he’s the right person for the job that he’s held for the last seven years, amassing a 76-40-1 regular-season record (a .654 winning percentage) but a 3-6 postseason record (.333).
“You’re always trying to evaluate and making sure that you’re putting your players in position to make plays. And ultimately it’s going to come down to that,” LaFleur replied when asked what it will take to win more consistently in the postseason. “And these games are tight; the margins are small. And when you have those opportunities, you’ve got to take advantage of them. Unfortunately for us, you always look and see when it gets tight, if a guy makes a mistake, why are we making a mistake? And so those are constantly at the forefront of our mind.”
Including Saturday night’s loss to the Bears, the Packers closed the season on a five-game losing streak. They lost star tight end Tucker Kraft to a torn ACL in his right knee during a Nov. 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and they lost first-team All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in an Aug. 28 trade with the Dallas Cowboys, to a torn ACL in his left knee in a Dec. 14 loss at Denver.
Speaking in mid-June with a small group of reporters who cover the team on a daily basis, Policy discussed a myriad of topics, but chief among them during the 45-minute conversation inside the alumni suite at Lambeau Field, was the futures of LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst and executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball.
With LaFleur and Gutekunst both under contract through the end of the 2026 season, Policy made it clear that he would not extend either of their contracts before the 2025 season began.
But he also said he didn’t want either man to be working the 2026 season without being under contract beyond that, meaning he’d need to either sign them to extensions or move on from one or both of them.
“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 explained. “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.
“So I think generally speaking, I would avoid ‘lame-duck’ status. It’s oftentimes difficult on everybody involved. But there are certain situations that probably call for it, so I would not say never.”
In the same conversation, Policy called LaFleur, Gutekunst and Ball “exceptional people” and said he felt “very good about all three of those individuals. I love them. I trust them. I respect them.
“Ultimately, I will do what’s best for the Packers, and I expect the exact same from them. But right now what’s best for the Packers, I think, is having those three in their current roles.”
Soon, Policy will have to decide whether keeping LaFleur is best for the Packers, although it’s possible he’s already made up his mind on that. Until that decision comes or comes to light, LaFleur’s status will remain unclear, at least publicly.
“I mean, we all know what type of business this is,” LaFleur said. “The focus for me was, at least today, to take a look at the tape [of the loss to the Bears] and try to figure out why and what went wrong. So that’s where all my focus has [been].
“And then, in that process, you start thinking about, all right, what are the things that we need to do to get better? So that’s just where I’ve put all my mental energy.”