Packers To Make Seismic Decision On Matt LaFleur That Affects Entire Head Coach Hiring Cycle

The Chicago Bears' dramatic comeback win against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night will surely bruise Packers coach Matt LaFleur and hurt all of Titletown going into the offseason, but what comes next could be more climactic and intriguing.

What comes next could create fallout throughout the entire NFL and its current coach hiring cycle.

Jan 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Matt Lafleur walks off the field after an NFC Wild Card Round game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

NFL Hiring Cycle Could Be Affected

There is no other way to say it because what comes next will determine whether LaFleur will be Green Bay's head coach next season or not. And if not, the drama will turn to where LaFleur lands as perhaps the first or second-most attractive coach in the NFL hiring cycle.

And how that affects the ensuing Packers coach search.

And how that affects John Harbaugh.

And how that affects the Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans and perhaps others.

This has the potential to be seismic.

Jan 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Matt Lafleur reacts to a play against the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Matt LaFleur Decision Looms

So let's address the entire picture by starting with a very strong possibility and perhaps probability first: The Packers, guided by first-year CEO Ed Policy, are not dumb. Policy is expected to meet with LaFleur in the coming days and decide whether to offer the coach a contract extension.

LaFleur is under contract for 2026 but neither he nor Policy have any interest in having him work in a lame-duck situation. It's not good for the coach. It's not good for the organization.

There's a strong possibility the sides hash out a new deal and that settles that. But until that happens, there's the other possibility, in which the sides cannot agree on anything other than a parting of ways.

It's not certain at the moment which possibility will carry the day.

"With all due respect to your question, now’s not the time for that," LaFleur said Saturday when asked if he thinks he’ll be back. "I’m just hurting for these guys. I can only think about what just happened, and there will be time for that."

Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Did LaFleur's Packers Plateau?

We've heard NFL people decline to answer such questions in emotional postgame press conferences before and, on at least one occasion, it led to a huge change in Baltimore.

So, there's uncertainty.

If Policy and LaFleur cannot agree on a deal, or if Policy believes the Packers have plateaued under the coach, a separation is on the table.

Crazy right? LaFleur just finished his seventh season with the club he's taken to the playoffs six times. He developed Jordan Love into a good quarterback. In the last year, he turned Malik Willis from a Titans castoff to a quarterback who is going to be highly valued in the looming free agent market.

"I definitely think Matt should be the head coach," Love told reporters after the Chicago loss. "I’ve got a lot of love for Matt and I think he does a good job. That’s it."

And yet the plateau question remains because the Packers have gone from a team that played in the NFC Championship game two years, to one that was eliminated in the Divisional round two years, to one that has been eliminated in the Wild Card round the past two seasons.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) walks off the field after their wild card playoff game Saturday, January 10, 2026 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers 31-27.

Jordan Love Makes Packers Attractive

That's regression from a coach Ed Policy did not hire.

It should be noted Policy is the son of former San Francisco 49ers president Carmen Policy. 

Carmen Policy is the man who traded Joe Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993. And Ed saw how that difficult call was filled with anguish and backlash and controversy. But it was also probably the right move for the 49ers.

And here's where this situation potentially gets crazy: If the Packers suddenly have a coaching vacancy, why wouldn't they enter the John Harbaugh sweepstakes? Oh, they would.

Harbaugh's agent, Bryan Harlan, is the son of former Packers longtime President and CEO Bob Harlan. They are spending this weekend deciding what teams are most attractive to them. And the Packers have a young roster. And a playoff-ready quarterback in Love.

They are a legacy franchise that can offer the kind of situation attractive to Harbaugh.

John Harbaugh wasn't happy with how a question was asked at the Ravens' first day of training camp on Wednesday. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Harbaugh Could Be Fit In Green Bay

And if Harbaugh's attention suddenly includes the Packers, what does that do to the Giants, Dolphins, Titans, Browns and Falcons who are hoping to interview and probably hire Harbaugh?

Oh, yeah, Matt LaFleur would be on the next big get. 

The Dolphins just hired longtime Packers personnel man Jon-Eric Sullivan as their general manager. The Giants, Titans and Falcons need a head coach to develop their quarterbacks like LaFleur has developed Love and perhaps Willis.

The Ravens, meanwhile, just fired Harbaugh and want someone to take Lamar Jackson to the next level. That is obviously in LaFleur's wheelhouse.

It is a tangled web this situation weaves. And it has the potential to cause a major shift in much of the NFL.