Phoenix – In late January, Matt LaFleur received a big nod from the Green Bay Packers in the form of a contract extension. This probably strengthened his position in the organization in the years to come.
But then came the annual NFLPA Player Survey, which complicated the picture a bit. The report, which was not supposed to be made public this year but leaked through multiple media outlets, revealed that players gave him a B- grade, equal to the third worst in the NFL. This comes after LaFleur received an A- grade following the 2024 season. According to the report, this year it came down to “respect for the players”.
At the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix on Monday, LaFleur, who is entering his eighth season with Green Bay, discussed how he is handling his coaching evaluation.
“I try to take it lightly, but you don’t want to just dismiss that thing. You have to look at it,” he told reporters. “I feel pretty confident from my conversations with most of my players, but certainly some guys felt a certain type of way. And the one thing I’ve learned in this business is this: You can’t please everybody. You can’t be all things to all people. And ultimately, you have 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’ll always do what that person suggests. That’s impossible.”
Packers QB Jordan Love shares a moment with head coach Matt LaFleur before facing the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field last November. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The Packers traded for All-Pro edge Micah Parsons in a blockbuster deal with Dallas at the beginning of the season, making them look like a Super Bowl front-runner. But Parsons suffered a knee injury in December and the Packers’ defense looked weak without him. It didn’t help that the offensive line suffered injuries and performed poorly. And Green Bay lost its final five games of the season, including its wild-card matchup against the rival Chicago Bears.
“If I’m honest about it, I think there were some guys that had trouble finding roles last year and I think it impacted our football team,” LaFleur said.
Micah Parsons suffered a season-ending ACL injury in his left knee in Week 15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
End-of-season issues increased speculation that, perhaps, LaFleur would not receive an extension. And the losing streak probably didn’t help boost morale in the locker room.
He was specifically asked about his comments regarding “respect for players” in the survey.
“I don’t feel that way, but unfortunately, some people did,” LaFleur said. “And that tells me I have to do a better job of communicating. And it goes back to the relationship piece. I think that’s very important. We always talk about, ‘Connected teams are powerful teams.’ And we have to grow that relationship.
“So definitely, that’s been a topic of conversation within our building. How can we get these guys a little closer? The more they know each other, the more they’re going to fight for each other. Even though they may compete at a certain position, they’ll help each other grow and ultimately become better individual players, which will help our collective football team.”
LaFleur and the Packers didn’t make any blockbuster acquisitions in the offseason, instead bringing in a group of role players — and trading veteran Rashaan Gary to Dallas for a 2027 fourth-round selection. Green Bay has largely stuck to its core from last season. As a result, the Packers should feel optimistic that they can recreate the way they started their 2025 season, going 9-3-1 in their first 12 games.
In a way, it’s another sign of confidence in LaFleur to produce better results with the same material.
