Packers opted for continuity over
chaos by extending LaFleur, Gutekunst and Ball, president says
[July 28, 2026]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The decision to keep Green Bay Packers coach
Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst after a late-season
collapse was a matter of choosing continuity over chaos, president
and CEO Ed Policy said Monday.
LaFleur, Gutekunst and executive vice president/director of football
operations Russ Ball all received contract extensions after the
Packers’ 2025 season ended with five straight losses, including a
31-27 road defeat against the Chicago Bears in the NFC wild-card
playoff round.
The Packers went 9-8-1 and earned a third straight postseason berth,
though they’ve been the NFC’s seventh and final playoff seed each of
those seasons. They haven’t won a playoff game the last two years.
“We had 10 head coach openings throughout the league this past
offseason, and that caused a tremendous amount of chaos in a lot of
other organizations,” Policy said during the annual shareholders
meeting of the NFL’s only publicly owned franchise. “I believe that
players, and especially quarterbacks, in championship-caliber teams,
develop best in an environment of continuity — not chaos.”
Green Bay owned a 9-3-1 record and was leading at Denver in the
second half last December when All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons
tore his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that knocked him out
for the rest of that season and will delay the start of his 2026
season. The Packers didn’t win again and closed the season by
blowing a 21-3 lead at Chicago.
“As we turn the page to 2026, we recognize how close we are to
becoming the team we expect to be,” Gutekunst said at the
shareholders meeting. “But at the same time, we have no delusions
about the areas where we must improve. Finishing games, maintaining
our composure at critical moments and consistently playing the best
football when it matters most will be essential."
The Packers’ late skid led to speculation regarding the futures of
LaFleur and Gutekunst, whose contracts were set to expire after the
2026 season.
Policy had said last year he would prefer not to have them enter a
season with only one year left on their contracts because of the
issues such a scenario could create, so either a firing or an
extension seemed the most likely outcome. Policy opted for the
latter.
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Green Bay Packers president and CEO Ed Policy, right, gives
autographs to fans after the team’s annual shareholders meeting
Monday, July 27, 2026, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. (AP
Photo/Steve Megargee)
“I’ve known Russ Ball for 25 years,” Policy said.
“I’ve worked with Brian for 14 years. I’ve worked very closely with
Matt for the past seven seasons. I’m incredibly confident in them
and their ability to put us in position to compete for
championships.”
LaFleur has a 76-40-1 regular-season record in seven seasons and led
the Packers to the playoffs in all but one of those years. He is 3-6
in the postseason and hasn’t reached the Super Bowl.
“His work with quarterbacks has been exceptional,” Policy said.
“That’s obviously a very critical role in our game, but he brought
out the very best in Aaron Rodgers winning two consecutive MVPs to
developing Jordan Love into a budding star, developing Malik Willis
into a very valuable contributor for our team and a very probable
starter for the Miami Dolphins.”
The Packers will have some new faces among their coaching staff as
they open training camp this week. Former Arizona Cardinals head
coach Jonathan Gannon was hired as defensive coordinator after Jeff
Hafley left to become the Miami Dolphins’ head coach. New special
teams coordinator Cam Achord takes over for Rich Bisaccia, who
departed for the same role at Clemson.
During the shareholders meeting, Policy again spoke about long-term
strategies the Packers might utilize to remain financially
competitive with the NFL franchises that have a more conventional
ownership structure. He had outlined that plan Friday while
detailing the Packers' annual revenues and expenses.
But there's a limit to how far the Packers will go in that regard.
Policy drew the biggest ovation of the day when he reiterated that
the team won’t be selling the naming rights to Lambeau Field.
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