Matt LaFleur's future has surprisingly become a question mark this season, despite the Green Bay Packers' head coach recently tying Hall of Famer Paul Brown for the second-most wins by a coach in their first seven seasons.
It started in the summer when new Packers president Ed Policy opted not to extend LaFleur's contract, even though his deal was entering its final two years. He, perhaps unintentionally, quietly put his head coach on the hot seat by hinting that he would make a decision this coming offseason.
Well, Policy might not be making the decision, after all. Packers insider Rob Demovsky appeared on ESPN Milwaukee this week and provided some surprising insight. He believes Policy could put the decision in the hands of general manager Brian Gutekunst.
"This is not just guessing, this is an educated guess based on people I've talked to. I would not be surprised if Ed goes back to the old structure and gives Brian Gutekunst the power of the head coach and perhaps lets Gutekunst decide," Demovsky said. "From all the people I've talked to, it sure seems like that is the way that Ed's going to go moving forward, with whoever the next general manager is. And I'm assuming that it's Brian Gutekunst."
Packers president Ed Policy may place Matt LaFleur's future in the hands of Brian Gutekunst
There is another piece to this puzzle, as Gutekunst also has an expiring contract in 2027. Is he guaranteed to remain the Packers' general manager? Demovsky believes the GM, whether it's Gutekunst or someone else, will decide LaFleur's fate.
However, Demovsky doesn't expect Gutekunst to go anywhere. As he correctly points out, the Micah Parsons trade may have answered any doubts.
"I don't think (Policy) signs off on the Micah Parsons trade if he doesn't fully believe in everything that Brian Gutekunst is doing," Demovsky said.
And keeping Gutekunst is 100 percent the correct call.
Everyone expected a rebuild after Aaron Rodgers departed, especially when Gutekunst put together the league's youngest roster. Yet here they are, on track for a third straight playoff berth since the Rodgers trade.
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Gutekunst hit home runs in free agency by signing Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs.
His recent draft classes have brought Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, Edgerrin Cooper, Javon Bullard, Evan Williams, and Matthew Golden to Green Bay. And, of course, Gutekunst pulled off the heist of the century by landing Parsons.
If Gutekunst remains the Packers' GM and gets to make the decision, we can probably assume LaFleur will stay in Green Bay, too. And so he should. LaFleur is 76-37-1 as a head coach and is on track to reach the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons.
Policy has a decision to make, but if Demovsky is correct, he might not be the one making the final call.