One day after the Green Bay Packers blew an 18-point lead en route to suffering a 31-27 wild-card playoff loss to the rival Chicago Bears, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur revealed he would soon discuss his future with team president Ed Policy.
It appears Policy liked what he heard from LaFleur regarding the Packers’ future.
Are Packers picking Matt LaFleur over John Harbaugh?
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday morning that the Packers “are expected to try to work out a deal in the coming days” to retain LaFleur’s services. Both LaFleur and Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst are only under contract through next season, and Policy previously said he is “generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract.”
As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk noted, “the Packers may be hammering out multiple deals in the near future” to keep the duo of LaFleur and Gutekunst together.
Under LaFleur, the Packers have qualified for the playoffs six times across seven seasons. That said, he has never guided the team to a single Super Bowl appearance. Green Bay last played in a conference title game back in January 2021, when the Packers fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Do Packers not view John Harbaugh as an upgrade over Matt LaFleur?
Some suggested last week that Policy could view former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh as an upgrade over LaFleur. Harbaugh may want “total authority over the roster” and to pick his own general manager with his next NFL home. It’s unknown what Policy and Co. would think about those alleged demands.
Additionally, one could argue that recent history shows there’s no guarantee Harbaugh would be a better option for the Packers. Specifically, Baltimore quarterback and two-time regular-season Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson accumulated a postseason record of 3-5 as a starter under Harbaugh. All due respect to Green Bay signal-caller Jordan Love, but few would argue that Jackson has accomplished more than Love during their careers. Regardless of the reasons, it sounds like the Packers aren’t ready to separate Love from LaFleur quite yet.
