After seven frustrating days of speculation and uncertainty, the wait is finally over.
The Green Bay Packers have decided to retain head coach Matt LaFleur. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Packers are working to bring back LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst on new contracts.
Per Schefter, it is now expected that both sides will reach a "positive resolution." While they haven't finalized an agreement yet, it's only a matter of time.
Packers have made their decision on Matt LaFleur (but the work truly begins now)
It's a significant development. Earlier in the week, Schefter had reported that LaFleur's future remained "up in the air."
On Friday, ESPN's Rob Demovsky noted that all options remained on the table, including trading LaFleur. Now, though, Schefter's latest report provides the clarity Packers fans have desperately waited for.
Barring something unexpected, both LaFleur and Gutekunst will land new deals. Team president Ed Policy said in the summer that he didn't believe in coaches and GMs entering lame-duck years. That's an important detail, as their current contracts were due to expire following the 2026 season.
Even with LaFleur returning, the Packers need to evolve.
LaFleur needs time to make the necessary adjustments to his coaching staff. What's next for Rich Bisaccia? Will Jeff Hafley land a head coach job, and if so, how do the Packers replace him? Would they consider making an outside hire instead of promoting from within?
These are the important questions now facing LaFleur, Gutekunst, and Policy.
Will the structure change? Various reports had indicated that Policy was keen to return to the previous Packers structure, in which the head coach reports to the general manager. Former president Mark Murphy changed the hierarchy in 2018, putting the coach and GM on the same level with both reporting to him.
Time will tell on those details, but one week removed from the Packers' heartbreaking playoff exit in Chicago, we finally have some clarity on LaFleur's future.
They will spend time hammering out the final details of the contract, but it's now clear he will return. However, to bounce back from such a brutal loss and take that next step in 2026, the real work begins now.