Packers: Matt LaFleur the choice to fix Green Bay’s offense

Mike McCarthy’s replacement in Green Bay has been named.

Matt LaFleur, the 39-year-old offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, will be the next head coach of the Green Bay Packers, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday.

The Packers skipped second interviews with head coaching candidates and instead decided to hire LaFleur before any other teams could poach him from the Titans. The Packers have been looking for a different dimension to their offense for years, and LaFleur’s background as an offensive mind certainly qualified him for the job.

LaFleur spent time as the quarterbacks coach on Kyle Shanahan’s staff in San Fransisco in 2015 and the offensive coordinator under Sean McVay in 2017. Clearly looking for an offensive-minded head coach, the Packers also interviewed Josh McDaniels, Adam Gase and Todd Monken among others for the job.

LaFleur’s hiring comes as a bit of a surprise given the heat surrounding other candidates. Josh McDaniels was initially seen as the favorite for the job, but LaFleur will be the replacement for McCarthy. LaFleur’s offensive scheme in Tennessee was relatively stale in his one season as the offensive coordinator for the Titans.

The Tennessee offense ranked 25th in the NFL this past season, though this can potentially be explained by personnel issues. Marcus Mariota was in and out of the lineup due to injury, and star tight end Delanie Walker missed all but a few quarters of the entire season.

Starting running back DeMarco Murray was replaced by Dion Lewis and receiver Rishard Matthews left the team in the middle of the season.

LaFleur is also expected to retain current defensive coordinator Mike Pettine on the staff as well, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Packers showed wild inconsistency on the defensive end this season, but another year with Pettine in charge along with new players both in the draft and in free agency could help make a difference.

LaFleur and Joe Philbin will likely be in charge of the offense while Pettine takes charge of things defensively. Quinton Spain, Derrick Morgan, and Bennie Logan are among the notable free agents that could leave the Titans and potentially join LaFleur in Green Bay.

With 10 draft picks including two first-rounders, considerable cap space, and a new head coach in tow, the future is bright in Packers News.