The Green Bay Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur have been in the process of negotiating a contract extension all week. Following their loss to the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs last weekend, there were many who wondered if the team might move on from LaFleur, who has been Green Bay’s head coach for the past seven seasons.
However, both sides put any thought of a firing aside when the Packers organization said they wanted to extend LaFleur, and the head coach himself stated that he wanted to remain in his role.
As the days have gone by, though, there have been few updates on the talks other than that both sides still desire to get a deal done. In the meantime, fans and media alike are wondering what, exactly, is taking so long.
Green Bay Packers President Ed Policy may want to return to the old way of doing things
To be clear, there is not a single person outside of the negotiating room that is privy to what exactly is being talked about. There are plenty of speculations, to be sure, but what exact points are causing the delay are not certain.
That being said, Packers insider Rob Demovsky, who covers the team for ESPN, has reported that one possible hang up could be Ed Policy’s desire to return to the old hierarchy structure:
“Everyone I have spoken to over the last three months Ed Policy wants to go back to the old structure (Head Coach having to answer to the GM).”
Rob Demovsky on @WildeAndTausch when asked about he hang up in Matt LaFleur’s contract extension. pic.twitter.com/YJ1bOoqwpe— Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) January 16, 2026
After Ted Thompson was removed as general manager but before former head coach Mike McCarthy was fired, then President and CEO of the Packers, Mark Murphy, changed the structure of the organization, making it so that both the general manager and head coach answered to him.
It was Murphy who hired Gutekunst, fired McCarthy, and hired LaFleur.
Policy, who succeeded Murphy as President and CEO this past summer, wants to go back to the old structure in which the head coach answered to the general manager.
In other words, the general manager would answer to Policy and the Board of Directors while having more control over the head coaching position. If this is the case, it would be Gutekunst who will decide when, if ever, LaFleur gets fired or is not given a new contract.
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