Multiple national NFL analysts have offered educated speculation that the Green Bay Packers could move on from both head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst if the team falls flat against the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round of the NFC playoffs next Saturday, but the exact opposite may actually be true.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Monday that the Packers want an extension for both LaFleur and Gutekunst before next season — the last year of each man’s respective contract.
“I think the bigger deal is can they figure out a contract of fair value to keep him there?” Schefter said. “I think that’s what this is about, them trying to negotiate a contract, seeing what they could come up with. If they get a deal done, it’s a non-talking point and [LaFleur’s] future is secure there.”
“Very rarely do teams want coaches going into the last year of their deal. Which I believe the priority will be to re-sign to an extension this offseason,” Schefter continued. “I believe they will try to sign [LaFleur] and Gutekunst to an extension.”
Packers Could Still Fire Matt LaFleur, Even if Team Prefers Extension
GettyGreen Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
Schefter’s reporting actually does gel with reports from Jay Glazer of Fox Sports and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk from last weekend that LaFleur and/or Gutekunst are in the proverbial hot seat — if a failure to reach an agreement on a contract extension is the outcome this offseason.
“New team president Ed Policy … made it clear in June 2024 that neither LaFleur nor Gutekunst would get contract extensions before the end of the 2025 season. And with both signed through 2026, Policy added that he’s not a fan of lame-duck arrangements,” Florio wrote. “Which means it’ll likely be new contracts or pink slips for the Packers coach and G.M. once the 2025 campaign ends.”
Glazer also reported on Sunday that LaFleur may be facing unemployment if the Packers can’t go to Soldier Field and best the Bears next weekend.
“Matt LaFleur’s job security has been questioned weekly at his press conferences,” Glazer said on the network’s pregame show. “It would be crazy to move on from a guy like that, but he’s still [on the hot seat].”
Packers May Not Be Able to Find Better Option Than Matt LaFleur
GettyHead coach Matt Lafleur of the Green Bay Packers.
The question the Packers would have to seriously consider were they to actually contemplate moving on from LaFleur after seven incredibly successful seasons is who out there offers even the chance of proving an upgrade?
LaFleur is 76-40-1 in the regular season and has a 3-5 record in the playoffs, including two trips to the NFC championship game. Green Bay is playing in mid-January, and potentially beyond, again this season, which means six playoff appearances in seven years for the 46-year-old head coach.
LaFleur is among the best offensive minds in the game, and the Packers appeared capable of matching a potent defense with a consistent offense in 2025 to make a real Super Bowl push before injuries to several key contributors made those hopes a little more far-fetched, even if still technically realistic.
Florio suggested that former Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, whom that organization fired on Monday, could be a potential successor to LaFleur in Green Bay.
Schefter reported that Stefanski, who is 45-56 in his career with two playoff appearances and two Coach of the Year awards across six seasons in Cleveland, will get interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans about their head coaching vacancies.
That type of interest renders Stefanski among the hottest available candidates this cycle, but whether he has the same level of talent and ability as LaFleur in the context of building/calling an offense and running an entire NFL team remains up for serious debate.
Packers’ Plans for HC Matt LaFleur, GM Brian Gutekunst Revealed