The Green Bay Packers will host the Miami Dolphins during the 2026 NFL season. That means Matt LaFleur will face his former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who became the Dolphins head coach this offseason.
But it appears unlikely the NFL will get any juice for the matchup with trash talk between the two coaches before the game.
Hafley addressed his former boss while making an appearance on The Richard Sherman Podcast this week. Hafley had nothing but positive things to say about LaFleur and the Packers.
“Matt [LaFleur] had a standard,” Hafley told Sherman. “He set the standard and didn’t deviate from it. I think in this league a lot of times people kind of walk by some stuff, but Matt wouldn’t do that. At times, you’d be like ‘Hey Matt, that’s just a little thing,’ but it wasn’t to him.”
“The standard you walk by is the standard you set, and you can’t walk by anything,” Hafley added. “I think that’s one of the reasons they’ve consistently won and been a playoff team, and they’ll take the next step soon.”
Matt LaFleur Gets Support From Dolphins Head Coach Jeff Hafley
Hafley’s comments on LaFleur couldn’t really come at a better time for the Packers head coach. Green Bay will enter the 2025 campaign on a five-game losing streak, including the postseason.
Injuries contributed to the skid. The Packers lost All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons at the beginning of that streak, and quarterback Jordan Love didn’t start all of those games.
But in the playoffs, the Packers blew an 18-point lead. That’s led to questions around LaFleur this offseason.
“With the team lacking consistency and finding ways to beat themselves and throw away leads, many (understandably) questioned LaFleur’s process,” wrote Fansided’s Lombardi Avenue’s Freddie Boston. “Are they overlooking something?”
Boston, though, argued Hafley’s comments “say a lot.”
LaFleur’s regular season record does too. In seven seasons with the Packers, LaFleur owns a 76-40-1 mark. He finished one win shy of averaging 11 victories per season in his first seven campaigns.
Packers Ready to Take Next Step in 2026?
The conversation around LaFleur, though, is focused on the very last point Hafley made — the next step.
Hafley sees the Packers ready to take that next step soon. LaFleur can fend off a lot of criticism should that next step come in 2026.
The Packers have lost three consecutive postseason games. They haven’t been to the NFC championship game since 2020. They failed to reach the Super Bowl in each of the final two MVP seasons for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
LaFleur can’t rectify coming up short with Rodgers. But he can improve upon his 3-6 playoff record.
A better regular season mark would help too. While his overall record is impressive, the Packers have won at least 10 games just once in the past four seasons.
Taking the next step by winning in January, and ultimately February, will be how LaFleur gains more supporters like he has in Hafley.
The former Packers defensive coordinator spent two seasons in Green Bay on LaFleur’s staff. Hafley arrived in Green Bay after four seasons as Boston College’s head coach.
LaFleur and Hafley will find out this month when they face each other during the 2026 season. The NFL is expected to release its 2026 schedule either next week or the following week.
Former Packers DC Jeff Hafley Opens Up on Matt LaFleur