5. Matt LaFleur
Okay, yes, technically he isn’t a player, but I would still consider head coach Matt LaFleur a Packer. When he was hired, the Packers were coming off of a gross 6-9-1 season where their longtime head coach, Mike McCarthy was let go.
The once high-powered offense in Green Bay was sputtering and there was little to no innovation within the offense. We saw teams like the Rams and even the early (but still bad) 49ers running some cool new things under their young head coaches. Those offenses looked fun. Ours looked boring and outdated.
Then came Matt LaFleur. Not only did he bring a fun new offense to Green Bay, but he also helped change the culture. That in and of itself is a tough task, but he seemingly did it in just one season. And he did it in simple ways too. He put basketball hoops in common areas and blared music at practice, nothing crazy, but it worked and he made things fun.
Most importantly, LaFleur molded well with his quarterback. It was a hot topic of debate when the Packers were looking for a quarterback. Who were they going to hire that Rodgers would respect and listen to? Honestly, I think most of that was overblown by the media just looking to stir up a story, but since his arrival in Green Bay, LaFleur has grown a nice relationship with Rodgers.
That is the key to Rodgers’ resurgence. He looks like he is genuinely having fun playing football again, and in turn, playing like the Aaron Rodgers we are used to. A big part of that is what Matt LaFleur has brought to this organization, and I think we should all be extremely thankful for LaFleur.