During that Q&A session with those reporters<\/a>, Policy discussed a myriad of topics, but chief among them during the 45-minute conversation inside the alumni suite at Lambeau Field was the futures of LaFleur, Gutekunst and executive vice president\/director of football operations Russ Ball.<\/p>\nWith LaFleur and Gutekunst both under contract through the end of the 2026 season, Policy made it clear at the time that he would not extend either of their contracts before the 2025 season began.<\/p>\n
But he also said he didn\u2019t want either man to be working the 2026 season without being under contract beyond that, meaning he\u2019d need to either sign them to extensions or move on from one or both of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m generally opposed \u2014 I’d never say never \u2014 [but] I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,\u201d Policy explained. \u201cThat creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left \u2014 not always, but normally.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I think generally speaking, I would avoid \u2018lame-duck\u2019 status. It’s oftentimes difficult on everybody involved. But there are certain situations that probably call for it, so I would not say never.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the same conversation, Policy called LaFleur, Gutekunst and Ball \u201cexceptional people\u201d and said he felt \u201cvery good about all three of those individuals. I love them. I trust them. I respect them.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, I will do what\u2019s best for the Packers, and I expect the exact same from them. But right now what\u2019s best for the Packers, I think, is having those three in their current roles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Packers hired Gutekunst in 2018, amid his predecessor Ted Thompson\u2019s failing health. With longtime head coach Mike McCarthy in place at the time, Murphy altered the franchise\u2019s long-standing structure on the football side of the operation, deciding that both the GM and head coach would report to him and be on the same line of the organizational flowchart.<\/p>\n
Under both Thompson and Pro Football Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf, the Packers GM oversaw the entire football operation, including the hiring and firing of the head coach.<\/p>\n
Murphy unceremoniously fired McCarthy with four games left in the four games left in the 2018 season, his 13th at the helm. Although Gutekunst was part of the search and hiring processes, Murphy ultimately made the final call on hiring LaFleur, who was part of the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay offensive system that took the league by storm.<\/p>\n
While the Packers have not played for an NFL title since the Aaron Rodgers-led 2010 team won Super Bowl XLV a decade and a half ago, they have made the playoffs in 12 of the 15 seasons since. They reached the NFC Championship Game four times over that span \u2014 the 2014 and 2016 title games under McCarthy; the 2019 and 2020 championship games under LaFleur \u2014 and the only time they\u2019ve missed the postseason during LaFleur\u2019s seven seasons was in 2022, the four-time NFL MVP\u2019s final season in Green Bay.<\/p>\n
Since replacing Rodgers with 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love, the Packers have made the postseason each of the last three seasons, all as the seventh and final NFC seed. They beat the Dallas Cowboys on the road to reach the NFC divisional round that first season with Love under center but have been eliminated in the wild-card round each of the past two postseasons, including by the Chicago Bears on Jan. 10, when they blew an 18-point halftime lead in a 31-27 loss to their archrivals.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. I mean, this [job] is one of one. I love this place,\u201d LaFleur replied last Sunday when asked if he wanted to continue as the Packers head coach \u2014 with a host of other NFL teams likely to line up to hire him if Policy had opted to move on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the people. As much as you guys [in the media] drive me nuts sometimes, I love you guys. I love our players, the locker room, everybody in our organization. I mean, this is a unique place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community has been outstanding. I grew up in the Midwest, and it’s got the same type of vibe that I grew up with in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The people, unless you’re from here, you don’t understand how friendly everybody is. No matter who you are, you’re walking down the street and people say hello to one another. And I’ve lived other places.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a unique place, and it’s a special place. My kids love it here, my family loves it here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked to describe his relationship with Policy, LaFleur replied, \u201cIt feels like since the day I got here and he’s been great. He’s been super supportive and I can’t say enough great things about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
In seven seasons, LaFleur has amassed a 76-40-1 regular-season record (a .654 winning percentage) but a 3-6 postseason record (.333).<\/p>\n
The Packers were a Super Bowl contender this year and had won four straight games until a Dec. 14 loss at Denver in which they lost first-team All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in an Aug. 28 trade with the Dallas Cowboys, to a torn ACL in his left knee. The team had already lost star tight end Tucker Kraft to a torn ACL in his right knee during a Nov. 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re always trying to evaluate and making sure that you’re putting your players in position to make plays. And ultimately it’s going to come down to that,\u201d LaFleur replied when asked what it will take to win more consistently in the postseason. \u201cAnd these games are tight; the margins are small. And when you have those opportunities, you\u2019ve got to take advantage of them. Unfortunately for us, you always look and see when it gets tight, if a guy makes a mistake, why are we making a mistake? And so those are constantly at the forefront of our mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
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