Opinion: To extend or not to extend Matt LeFleur

The NFL coaching cycle is shaping up to be one of the most memorable in the league’s history.

There are seven vacancies, including the two longest tenured coaches, coming into this season, as Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh left their posts after 19 and 18 years with the Steelers and Ravens, respectively

Their departures prove that no one is a permanent fixture in the football world and other coaches should take notice.

Matt LaFleur should be one of those people.

He now sits as the fifth most tenured coach after being hired by the Green Bay Packers in 2019. LaFleur has also been successful, as he has compiled a 76-40-1 record, having made six postseasons and won three NFC North titles.

The problem that follows LaFleur around is the ugly finishes to the season his teams have.

The Packers are 3-6 in the playoffs under Lafleur with two NFC Championship Game losses and half of the defeats coming to the 49ers.

The most recent example of futility was a loss to the Chicago Bears in which Green Bay blew a 21-3 lead at halftime.

After a 9-3-1 start to the season with a Super Bowl-caliber defense, the Micah Parsons injury and a four-game losing streak took the Packers from contending for the number one seed to ending up as the seven seed.

It brings up a dilemma that the Packers' front office must deal with.

With one year left on LaFleur’s deal, will Green Bay extend their coach or make 2026 a “prove it” year for him?

There are plenty of arguments to be made for the Packers to go either way in this pivotal time.

On one hand, LaFleur isn’t the man to blame for the Packers’ season going off the rails. Injuries turned Green Bay into a shell of the team they were in September.

The Packers can also look at other head coaches who went through years of struggles before finally breaking through. It took 21 years before Andy Reid won his first Lombardi with the Chiefs after years of near misses.

While fans and executives may be frustrated with the lack of playoff success, allowing one more year for LaFleur to get it done with no guaranteed contract may give him extra motivation to win a fifth Super Bowl for the Packers.

But keeping him one more year could lead to another wasted opportunity with a championship-caliber team.

The one phrase that resonates with Matt LaFleur is “wasted opportunity.”

In four seasons with Aaron Rodgers, the Packers were 2-3 in the playoffs, with 2021 and 2022 being MVP years with Rodgers.

The last three years without Rodgers have brought a noticeable dip to the overall performance as well. While the Packers have made the playoffs in those seasons, they were the seven seed in all of those appearances and are 1-3 in that span.

While the Packers are reportedly trying to reach a deal with LaFleur, putting pressure on him by not extending him at this time could end up being the best thing to happen for the franchise. Pressure is said to make diamonds.

Chase Fisher is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email ctf5198@psu.edu.