Despite a crushing loss in the playoffs to fierce rivals Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers are standing by Matt LaFleur.
According to ESPN on Saturday morning, the organization are even holding talks with the head coach over a new contract both for him and for general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Both LaFleur and Gutekunst are heading into the final year of their current contracts in Green Bay and it has already shaped up as an offseason of huge change for the teams who didn’t make the postseason.
The most notable departure saw John Harbaugh leave the Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons – he is set to take over at the New York Giants. But at Green Bay, the 46-year-old LaFleur will now have the chance to continue his seven-year reign.
The Packers’ season ended last weeked at the hands of the Bears, losing 31-27 in the wildcard round.
But despite such a frustrating end to the campaign, there are rays of hope for the Packers as they turn their attention to 2026.
Matt LaFleur is staying at the Green Bay Packers and could sign a new contract soon
Things might have been different if Micah Parsons hadn’t torn his ACL towards the end of the regular season. Trading for him from the Dallas Cowboys last summer was the blockbuster move of the trade window.
The same applies to tight end Tucker Kraft, who was having an outstanding season before the same knee injury in Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers.
Preparation for the Bears showdown was far from ideal, too, with his quarterback Jordan Love in concussion protocal for the final game of the regular season.
In the aftermath of the loss, LaFleur and Bears head coach Ben Johnson had a cold handshake, before Johnson took things further in his post-game locker room speech.
‘F*** the Packers! F*** them,’ he shouted in celebration to his team.
Later, he was asked to explain his words at a press conference and told reporters: ‘There was probably a little bit more noise coming out of their building up north to start the week, which we heard loud and clear, players and coaches alike.’
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