PHOENIX — In late January, Matt LaFleur received a major nod of approval from the Green Bay Packers in the form of a contract extension. That solidified his position in the organization, likely for years to come.
But then came the annual NFLPA player survey, which complicated the picture slightly. The report, which was not supposed to be public this year but leaked through multiple media outlets, revealed that players gave him a B- grade, tied for third-worst in the NFL. That’s after LaFleur received an A- grade after the 2024 season. This year, it came down to “respect for players,” per the report.
At the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix on Monday, LaFleur, who’s entering his eighth season with Green Bay, discussed with me and other reporters how he’s handling the assessment of his coaching.
“I try to take that with a grain of salt, but you don’t want to just dismiss that stuff. You got to look into it,” LaFleur said at his packed breakfast press conference surrounded by media members, an annual staple of the meeting. “I feel pretty confident with my conversations with the majority of our players, but certainly some guys felt a certain type of way. And the one thing I’ve learned in this business is: You can’t please everybody. You can’t be all things to all people. And ultimately, you got to make decisions that you feel are in the best interest of your football team.
“Great leaders are great listeners, but that doesn’t mean we’re always going to do what that person suggests. It’s impossible.”
Packers QB Jordan Love shares a moment with head coach Matt LaFleur prior to facing the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field last November. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The Packers traded for All-Pro edge Micah Parsons at the beginning of the season in a blockbuster deal with Dallas that made them look like a Super Bowl front-runner. But Parsons suffered a knee injury in December and the Packers’ defense looked thin without him. It didn’t help that the offensive line suffered injuries and underperformed. And Green Bay lost its final five games of the season, including its wild-card matchup against the rival Chicago Bears.
“If I’m being honest about it, I think there were some guys that were upset about roles last year, and I think that took a toll on our football team,” LaFleur said.
Micah Parsons suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee in Week 15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The late-season issues increased speculation that, perhaps, LaFleur might not receive an extension. And the losing streak probably didn’t help with morale in the locker room.
He was asked, specifically, about comments in the survey regarding his “respect for players.”
“I don’t feel that way, but unfortunately, some guys did,” LaFleur said. “And so that tells me I got to do a better job of communicating. And it goes back to the relationship piece. I think it’s so critical. We always talk about, ‘Connected teams are powerful teams.’ And we’ve got to grow that connection.
“So certainly, that’s been a topic of conversation within our building. How do we get these guys a little closer? The more they know each other, the more they’re going to battle for one another. Although they may be competing within a certain position, they’re going to help each other grow and ultimately be better individual players, which should help our collective football team.”
LaFleur and the Packers didn’t have any blockbuster acquisitions over the offseason, instead bringing in a group of role players — and trading veteran edge Rashan Gary to Dallas for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Green Bay largely stuck with last season’s core. As a result, the Packers must feel optimistic they can recreate the way they started their 2025 season, going 9-3-1 in their first 12 games.
In a way, that’s yet another nod of confidence in LaFleur to generate better results with the same ingredients.
