The first week of 2026 is already in the books, and the dawn of the new calendar year often brings reflection on the year that was and bold resolutions for the coming 12 months. Statistically, many of us have already broken our 2026 resolutions, or will by the end of the month.
The Green Bay Packers are still in the 2025-26 NFL season, and despite adding to the defensive line and in the secondary ahead of Week 18, the team dropped a fourth straight game, and will both metaphorically and in many cases literally limp into the NFC playoffs.
While anything can happen in the postseason, as evidenced by the Packers' most recent Super Bowl win in 2010, when the team took the No. 6 seed and won three straight road games.
That said, since the season is still ongoing, these resolutions will focus on the offseason, whenever that begins, whether it's a one-and-done appearance again, hoisting another Lombardi Trophy, or anywhere in between.
Important New Year's Resolutions the Packers can't afford to ignore
1. Commit to Matt LaFleur
This may be an unpopular opinion among some Packers fans, and simply put, they are wrong.
Matt LaFleur is one of the best conceptual football minds in the NFL and has made the postseason in six of his seven NFL seasons. In the only season they failed, the Packers hosted a win-and-in game in Week 18.
Critics of LaFleur often point to a team that doesn't put away opponents that they should beat, "play down to competition," and "don't seem inspired" or disciplined in big games. All of which can also be attributed to fielding one of the youngest teams year after year. Winning in the NFL is hard, but despite having a plethora of young, inexperienced teams, LaFleur has led his squad to the playoffs almost every year.
New team president, Ed Policy, has gone on record saying that a contract extension for LaFleur wasn't necessarily a lock, but he has also commended the team's success ahead of the team's regular-season finale. That said, it can certainly be argued that LaFleur has earned an extension, and in my opinion, he would be more deserving than Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, who is also approaching the end of his current deal.
While that may be a conversation for a different day, simply put, LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love should be tied together.
Many teams face a similar problem. A new coach inherits a quarterback they didn't pick, struggles to make that player fit their scheme, moves on from that quarterback, and then gets fired shortly into the new guy's rookie contract. Just ask the Jets, Titans, Giants, Bears, and Browns. Keep LaFleur and Love together, and let them succeed or fail together.
2. Focus on the secondary
One day, the Packers will actually address one of their biggest areas of need in an offseason. This year, it is most certainly the secondary, specifically the cornerback spot. Green Bay claimed Trevon Diggs, a former All-Pro corner from Dallas, last week, and he certainly was a positive contributor in the limited action he saw. Diggs could even start in the playoffs.
That said, keeping Diggs on his current contract would come with a $15 million cap hit in 2026, which would be a tough blow for a player on what is essentially a "prove it" deal after struggling with the Cowboys over the past couple of seasons. This is further complicated by the team trading away their next two first-round draft picks in the Micah Parsons deal.
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The team needs to find ways to add immediate impact players. Maybe getting Diggs in the building and then signing him to a new deal to lead the corner group is in the cards. Perhaps it's about finding talent in the second and/or third rounds of the draft, rounds that have historically been pretty darn good for Green Bay.
The Packers lost three cornerbacks before the start of the 2025 season, and only added Nate Hobbs to replace them, a move that hasn't really panned out in his first season. Regardless of his success, the team must prioritize the secondary.
Even if Micah Parsons returns from injury to start the season, a very realistic possibility, his efforts in the pass rush cannot cover up the massive warts that currently present themselves in the Green Bay secondary.
3. Embrace the 'win now' window
This may be the most complicated one to actually accomplish. However, it is the most important. The last couple of seasons have felt like the Packers were playing with house money — making the playoffs in "rebuilding years" was considered an added bonus to the post-Aaron Rodgers era. In those previous two seasons, the team made Jordan Love the highest-paid player in NFL history, confirming his status as the "franchise guy."
Expectations for the Packers changed drastically on August 28, 2025, when the team acquired Micah Parsons in exchange for Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. As part of the trade, the team also signed Parsons to a massive extension in his own right, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
With that, simply making the postseason is no longer enough. When you have one of the highest-paid quarterbacks, as well as one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league, that needs to result in deep postseason runs, and ideally a Super Bowl.
While this year's team could still end up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February, given the litany of injuries that have impacted this squad, it won't necessarily be an expectation. That said, injuries are part of the game, and overcoming them is something every championship team needs to do.
This is more for the fanbase and media to hold the team accountable, and that, ultimately, simply making it into the postseason can no longer be the goal.
Ultimately, those decisions lie in the hands of Ed Policy and, by extension, Brian Gutekunst and the player personnel folks. The pressure should be on. Now is the time to act and bring a 14th title back home.