Packers Won’t Consider Extensions For HC Matt LaFleur & GM Brian Gutekunst Until Next Year

Packers HC Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst both enter the 2025 season with two years left on their contracts. Ed Policy, who will be taking over as team president on July 25, told reporters recently that Green Bay won’t be signing them to extensions before this season. 

That sets up this season as a possible “make-or-break year for LaFleur and Gutekunst, despite the two largely being viewed as successful over the past several years. Policy believes coaches and general managers having just one year left on their deals creates “a lot of issues” but didn’t want to commit to avoiding what’s called a “lame duck year” for LaFleur and Gutekunst. 

“That creates a lot of issues,” said Policy, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “I think normally, you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left — not always, but normally. But it creates a lot of issues because they also have to hire a staff … generally speaking, I would avoid lame-duck status. It’s oftentimes difficult on everybody involved, but there are certain situations that probably call for it. So I would not say never.”

Policy states that evaluating head coaches begins with their ability to win games, while also assessing their effectiveness in developing players. 

“With head coaches, it starts with wins and losses, but that’s a little too simple of an answer for this,” Policy said. “It can’t end with that. At the end of the day, we are here to win football games, so it does start with that. But coaches are fundamentally teachers, I think. They develop people, so you evaluate them on how they’re developing people. First, with the players, are they developing players individually? Are players getting better? … And then, are they improving as a team? What’s the locker room culture like? Is it cohesive? And is it one team or is it a bunch of individuals?”

As for the general manager role, Policy wants to make sure Gutekunst is “aligned” with LaFleur and proving capable of building a “winning roster.” 

“Are they aligned? Are they communicating? That will be a very important thing to evaluate both of them on,” Policy said. “With the GM, again, it’s always going to be, are they performing and meeting their goals? Is their behavior and their conduct really aligned with our culture and our values? And then just, are their draft picks and their free agents — it probably takes a little while to determine this, it probably takes at least three years or so to really figure this out — but are they building a winning roster? Are they bringing in the right kind of people for our system and for the coach and the right kind of character people?”

Policy went on to praise LaFleur, Gutekunst, and director of football operations Russ Ball, saying he feels “very good” about working alongside all three. Each of them signed contracts at the same time back in 2022. 

“You’ve got three exceptional people doing an exceptional job right now and working well together,” Policy said. “I feel very good about all three of those individuals. I love them. I trust them. I respect them … I have terrific relationships, both working and personal, with them.”

LaFleur, 45, began his NFL coaching career with the Texans as their offensive quality control coach back in 2008. He later took over as the Commanders’ QBs coach in 2010 and spent four years with Washington.

After one year at Notre Dame, LaFleur returned to the NFL when the Falcons hired him as their QBs coach in 2015. He spent two years in Atlanta and one year as the Rams’ offensive coordinator before joining the Titans.

The Packers hired LaFleur as their head coach back in 2019 and the Michigan native has been with the team ever since. 

In six seasons with the Packers, LaFleur has posted a total record of 67-33. He has also posted a playoff record of 3-5 during this time.

Gutekunst, 51, got his start in scouting with the Chiefs in 1998 before joining the Packers in the same role in 1999. He rose through the ranks before eventually being named GM to succeed Ted Thompson in 2018.

In seven years under Gutekunst, the Packers are 73-42-1 (.629 winning percentage) with five playoff appearances and a 3-5 record.