Matt LaFleur has won 76 games in seven seasons as Green Bay Packers head coach. That’s a .659 winning percentage—third-best among active coaches. His 67 wins in his first six seasons were the second-most in NFL history, trailing only George Seifert’s 75. He’s led the Packers to six playoff appearances in seven years and two NFC Championship games.
And this Saturday night, when the Packers take on the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card round, he might be coaching for his job.
Welcome to the most insane hot seat story in the NFL.
The #7 Seed Problem: Three Years In Purgatory
Here’s the uncomfortable truth that’s haunting LaFleur: The Packers finished as the NFC’s #7 seed for the third straight season. In Green Bay, that’s not progress—that’s stagnation.
This year’s collapse was particularly brutal. After trading for elite pass rusher Micah Parsons and surging to 9-3-1, the Packers lost Parsons to a torn ACL in Week 15. Without their defensive centerpiece, Green Bay imploded, losing their final four games to finish 9-6-1 and locked into that dreaded #7 seed again.
The late-season collapse cost them the NFC North title. Chicago (11-5) won the division, meaning the Packers have to travel to Soldier Field—where they just blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead three weeks ago—for a Wild Card rematch.
“This is Green Bay. Titletown,” one analyst wrote. “The No. 7 seed might be good enough elsewhere, but not here.”
The Ed Policy Factor: New President, New Expectations
When the Packers hired Ed Policy as team president, the power dynamic shifted. Policy didn’t hire LaFleur—Brian Gutekunst did back in 2019. And while Policy hasn’t publicly criticized LaFleur, he also hasn’t extended his contract, which expires after 2026.
Multiple NFL insiders, including Jay Glazer and Mike Florio, have reported that LaFleur is squarely on the hot seat. Florio noted that Wild Card weekend could bring “new contracts or pink slips” for LaFleur depending on how the Packers perform.
Translation: Win, and maybe you buy yourself another year. Lose to the Bears again, and your 76-39-1 record might not be enough to save you.
The Micah Parsons Trade That Backfired
In August, the Packers made a shocking move, trading two first-round picks and sending Kenny Clark to Dallas for Micah Parsons. It was an all-in move to push for a Super Bowl.
The irony? It actually worked—until it didn’t.
Green Bay’s defense, which had been mediocre for years, became elite with Parsons terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. The Packers raced to 9-3-1, looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
But when Parsons tore his ACL against Denver, the entire season unraveled. The defense couldn’t generate pressure. The offense—LaFleur’s specialty—couldn’t close games. Four straight losses. No division title. Another #7 seed.
The Parsons trade was supposed to be LaFleur’s legacy-defining move. Instead, it might be what gets him fired.
