Matt LaFleur likely isn't going anywhere.
After months of uncertainty, speculation, and rumors about LaFleur's future with the Green Bay Packers, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has dropped a significant update right before their playoff opener against the Chicago Bears.
According to Rapoport, the expectation is that the Packers and LaFleur will work on a contract extension, and tonight's game at Soldier Field won't determine his future.
"Sources say the Packers plan to engage head coach Matt LaFleur in contract discussions shortly after the season ends, with the mutual goal of extending his contract," writes Rapoport. "LaFleur's job status will not be determined by four quarters of football tonight in Chicago."
Packers extending Matt LaFleur is 100 percent the correct call despite disappointing end to season
It's the right move.
John Harbaugh should be the lesson here. Baltimore Ravens fans grew frustrated with the team's lack of progress despite enjoying sustained success. The team decided to move in a new direction, surprisingly parting ways with their Super Bowl-winning coach, and now Harbaugh is the clear frontrunner for several teams in this coaching cycle.
Had the Packers fired LaFleur, he likely would've surpassed Harbaugh as the coach every team would want. That's how highly regarded he is in the NFL, and for good reason.
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As fans, we place every move LaFleur makes under the microscope. Every frustrating play-calling tendency and bad decision is amplified to the max. It's the same with Brian Gutekunst, where every missed draft pick is on full display. That's the nature of fandom. The reality is that every coach and GM has flaws and makes errors, but the LaFleur-Gutekunst partnership has brought far more success to Green Bay than many other clubs enjoy.
LaFleur is winning at an elite speed. He has 76 victories with the Packers, tied for the second most by any head coach in their first seven seasons.
He has taken the Packers to the playoffs six times in seven seasons, three times with Aaron Rodgers, three with Jordan Love. There has been no "rebuild" after the Rodgers era made way for the youngest roster in football.
Take a look at the Detroit Lions. The Minnesota Vikings. The Ravens. Even the Kansas City Chiefs this year. Proof that even the best teams struggle to make the postseason every season. LaFleur keeps taking the Packers into the January tournament.
And just look how the quarterbacks have performed under his leadership:
Aaron Rodgers under LaFleur: 1,441/2,168 (66.5 percent), 16,111 yards, 137 TDs, 25 INTs, 104.7 rating.
Jordan Love under LaFleur: 981/1,526 (64.3 percent), 11,535 yards, 83 TDs, 31 INTs, 96.8 rating.
Malik Willis under LaFleur: 70/89 (78.7 percent), 972 yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs, 134.6 rating.
Rodgers, Love, and Willis have thrown for 28,618 yards, 226 touchdowns, and just 56 interceptions. That's elite quarterback play.
The Packers undoubtedly need to push to the next level and go from regular playoff qualifiers to genuine contenders. But if Green Bay moves on from LaFleur, who comes in? Harbaugh? Mike McDaniel? Jeff Hafley? There's no guarantee any incoming head coach would outperform LaFleur.
The next step is figuring out a deal. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this week that the uncertainty over LaFleur's future was likely less about performance, but more about the terms of the contract.
"I think the bigger deal here is, can they figure out a contract of fair value to keep him there? I think that's what this is about," Schefter told The Pat McAfee Show.
But the Packers want LaFleur, and Rapoport said they share a "mutual goal" of working on an extension. It might take a top-of-the-market deal, but after producing 76 wins and six playoff appearances in seven years, that's what he deserves.