Jan. 11, 2026, 7:50 p.m. CT

There is one talking point on everyone’s lips following the Green Bay Packers‘ epic collapse in the NFC Wild Card round, and that is the future of head coach Matt LaFleur.

A resolution on whether LaFleur will receive a contract extension or be fired should happen soon, as he confirmed he will meet with Packers president and CEO Ed Policy either on Sunday night or Monday to discuss his future.

Here is the case for and against keeping him around into 2026 and beyond, starting with the positives:

Regular season record

The ugly truth is that in a lot of years, the “best team” in the NFL does not end up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. A playoff format means randomness and luck play a big part in who is the last team standing, and in a sport where injuries are guaranteed, they often have a significant say as well.

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Therefore, the best measure of the long-term performance of a head coach has to be his regular season record, and in that regard, LaFleur is among the league’s best. Green Bay’s 76 wins ranks third in the NFL since he took over as head coach in 2019.

Of course, standards in Titletown are higher than to just make the postseason, as LaFleur has done in six out of his seven seasons, but the consistency with which his teams make the dance should not be brushed over. It is the type of record most teams would kill for.

Development of Jordan Love

In accumulating those 76 wins, LaFleur was a huge catalyst in the rejuvenation of Aaron Rodgers after he looked to be in decline, and he also oversaw the transition from the Rodgers era to new quarterback Jordan Love, who has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Having a Hall of Fame quarterback feels like a constitutional right for Packers fans, but the rise of Love, and the role LaFleur has played in that, cannot be understated.

Along with a budding quarterback in Love, Green Bay has had the youngest roster in the NFL for the last three years and has had a winning record in all three. This was a big change from the veteran, player-led team LaFleur headed at the end of Rodgers’ run, and he has managed it admirably.

Offensive edge

If LaFleur was to be let go by the Packers, he would instantly become one of the most coveted head coaching candidates in this cycle because of the instant offensive advantage he would provide.

That is a sentiment echoed by national reporters, and it does inspire the question; why would a team fire that coach? Teams have been falling over themselves for years trying to get their hands on offensive minds from the Shanahan/McVay tree, and LaFleur is another success story.

His Packers offense ranked fourth in expected points added (EPA) per play in 2025, eighth in 2024 (when Malik Willis played three games, two of which came mere days after he joined the team), and fifth in 2023.

If Green Bay is going to pivot to more of a defensive or ‘CEO’ style head coach, that brings an added challenge of having to nail the offensive coordinator hire, and then replace them if they excel and take a head coaching job elsewhere, as has been difficult for Detroit this year.

If they were to opt for another offensive mind, they would need to be confident there is a candidate out there who elevates an offense in the way LaFleur has, which would feel like a bit of a “mystery box” situation, i.e., “a new guy could be anything, he could even be Matt LaFleur!”

Fear of missing out

One of the arguments for moving on from LaFleur is that although he may go on to have success elsewhere, it is simply “time for a change” or has “gone stale” in Green Bay.

Andy Reid is a popular name thrown into this discussion, as a coach who could not get over the hump in Philly but eventually found great success in Kansas City. But perhaps that should be more of a cautionary tale than an argument for the Packers starting fresh.

The Eagles have not regretted it, but there is a risk of LaFleur, who is still a pretty young coach, putting it all together somewhere else while the Packers start over with no guarantee the next coach will have as much success, never mind more.

Postseason failings

The biggest knock on LaFleur is clearly the team’s absence of a championship, or even a Super Bowl appearance in his tenure despite six trips to the playoffs.

They have not played in the NFC Championship Game since January of 2021, and although the obvious context there is that they undertook a quick rebuild along the way, there is no question the Packers have come up short in the postseason in the LaFleur era.

Maybe some of it has been pure bad luck, but the manner of some of their playoff losses has been similar, with self-inflicted wounds playing a significant part.

The reasons for their postseason failures cannot be fully quantified, but it is fair to ask whether LaFleur can instill the mentality needed to get his players to finish.

LaFleur knows his career in Green Bay will ultimately be judged on whether he can win a title. He has so far failed to achieve that goal, and with the loss to Chicago evoking painful memories of playoff losses of years gone by, it would be understandable if Policy thinks a shakeup is needed.

Loyalty to underperforming coordinators

After taking too long to move on from defensive coordinator Joe Barry, LaFleur has repeated a similar pattern with Rich Bisaccia, who is his third special teams coordinator and has barely improved the group despite his reputation as a respected veteran coach.

LaFleur deservedly kicked the narrative of not knowing how to hire defensive coordinators after hitting a home run with Jeff Hafley, who no one was talking about as a potential candidate, but his loyalty to Bisaccia contributed to their downfall once again on Saturday night.

If LaFleur ends up losing his job, putting (and keeping) faith in the wrong people would be a key reason for his ultimate demise.

Odd contract situation

The reports before Saturday’s game were that LaFleur was not coaching for his job against Chicago, but if Policy does have legitimate doubts about his long term viability, LaFleur’s interesting contract crossroads gives him an excuse to cut the cord.

Policy has made it fairly clear LaFleur will either be extended or fired this offseason. If the team is willing to keep LaFleur around and by proxy hand him an extension, but is also giving him a short leash and demanding quick results, then that is not the right foot to start a new contract on.

It may be that Policy does not doubt LaFleur’s ability in any real way – we frankly have no evidence to suggest it – but if he is conflicted at all, the fact a decision has to be made one way or another, and it has to be made now, could hurt LaFleur’s chances and ultimately lead to a divorce.