It's no secret that Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur isn't a million miles away from the hot seat. On a scale of warm to blistering, though, he probably falls somewhere in the middle — or so we thought.
LaFleur has recently been mentioned among the leaders whose job security is under fire more than once. His and the Packers' shortcomings in high-pressure moments over the years have become too much to ignore.
However, folks have seemingly lost the plot. While LaFleur has work to do to dig out of the hole his fatal flaws have created, there are more pressing situations around the NFL. With all due respect, he shouldn't be second in FanSided's Jake Beckman hot seat power rankings.
Matt LaFleur's seat with the Packers isn't as hot as other NFL head coaches
Believe it or not, LaFleur may not be in as deep of trouble as some of his peers. While the "clock is ticking" on him, as Beckman highlighted, others have more at stake.
The Cincinnati Bengals' Zac Taylor, the Indianapolis Colts' Shane Steichen and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Todd Bowles are all behind LaFleur on Beckman's list. What have any of them done to earn a longer leash than Green Bay's skipper in a "what have you done for me lately" league?
Bengals franchise quarterback Joe Burrow has emphasized the "level of urgency" to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. They've invested significant resources into this iteration of the squad, including trading the 2026 No. 10 overall draft pick for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. The circumstances put significant onus on Taylor to turn the tide in Cincy, both internally and externally.
The Colts spent a boatload of cash in free agency this offseason. They've knocked on the doorstep of the postseason annually after bringing in Steichen in 2023, albeit to no avail. A historically dominant 7-1 start to 2025 ended in disappointment yet again after signal-caller Daniel Jones tore his Achilles, but there are no excuses this time.
Then there's Bowles, who appeared to be losing the locker room as Tampa Bay slowly fizzled out of contention last season. One of the franchise's greatest players, wide receiver Mike Evans, effectively gave up on the Super Bowl-winning sideline general by joining the San Francisco 49ers. They're fortunate to reside in the lowly NFC South, where an 8-9 record was enough to claim the division if not for a costly tiebreaker.
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