Packers CEO shows support for Matt LaFleur ahead of contract decision

6 days ago 2

The job status of Matt LaFleur has been a talking point since Ed Policy confirmed he would not make a decision on Green Bay’s head coach and his contract until after the conclusion of the 2025 season. However, the Packers president and CEO appeared to show support for how LaFleur and his team have purported themselves through a year full of adversity.

In his regular Q&A session with fans on Packers.com, Policy opened with a statement praising the way Green Bay has navigated this campaign.

He wrote: “Adversity is the norm in the National Football League, and I am extremely proud of how our team has handled many challenges. Last season, we struggled within our division and this year we improved to 4-1."

Green Bay’s division record in 2024 – 1-5, with the lone victory coming via a blocked field goal at the buzzer – was a stick used to beat LaFleur and his team in the offseason, but this year they are a failed onside kick recovery away from being 5-0 against the NFC North.

Policy continued: “We’ve persevered through a litany of injuries and a very challenging schedule and placed ourselves in a position to compete for our ultimate goal, a Super Bowl championship."

Those injuries included losing tight end Tucker Kraft in the middle of a breakout year, top interior defender Devonte Wyatt on Thanksgiving, and finally All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons, all for the season. Those losses, especially that of Parsons, have dealt a massive blow to Green Bay’s Super Bowl chances in 2025.

There has been speculation over LaFleur’s future with the team dating back to last offseason, driven by the fact his contract is up after next season, and some comments by Policy after he took over from Mark Murphy as president and CEO.

Policy did not renew either LaFleur or general manager Brian Gutekunst’s contracts with two years left and told the Green Bay media he is “generally opposed” to them entering the final year of their deal.

That intimated Policy would decide whether to either extend LaFleur and Gutekunst or fire them after the 2025 season. Policy’s offseason words may have been twisted slightly and painted him as a skeptic of the LaFleur/Gutekunst regime, rather than simply explaining the team’s usual process.

A vocal minority of the fanbase who do not believe in LaFleur in particular, grabbed onto this and have taken it to mean the head coach was on the hot seat and at genuine risk of losing his job.

That always seemed like a stretch given his excellent regular season track record, and Policy’s statement on Saturday seemed to show empathy for how this year has fallen short of expectations given the extenuating circumstances.

While some will insist LaFleur should be questioned every year the Packers fail to win a championship, as his seventh season in charge nears an end, Policy’s comments do not sound like those of a man who does not believe in his head coach.

Of course, Green Bay will not want to end the year on a five-game losing streak, which could be the case if their backups are beaten by Minnesota this week and they fall in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.

But LaFleur has established himself as one of the most successful existing head coaches in the NFL since taking the helm, and by far the likeliest outcome is still that the Packers hand him a long-term contract extension this offseason.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers CEO shows support for Matt LaFleur ahead of contract decision

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