Packers officially announce extensions for head coach LaFleur and GM Gutekunst

The Green Bay Packers have signed head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst to contract extensions, the team officially announced on Friday.

It was reported two weeks ago that LaFleur and the Packers had agreed on an extension, Green Bay electing to stick with him as head coach despite reports of a possible parting following a stunning playoff collapse in the Wild Card Round.

The Packers led 21-3 at half-time in their meeting with the Chicago Bears and, despite a Chicago comeback, had the ball on the Bears’ 21-yard line with three minutes remaining and a 27-24 lead. However, following a missed field goal, they allowed a late game-winning touchdown as the Bears claimed a miraculous 31-27 win.

That defeat made it back-to-back years in which the Packers have exited the playoffs in the Wild Card Round. Still, LaFleur’s consistency as their head coach is extremely impressive.

Indeed, they have reached the playoffs in all but one of his seven seasons as head coach. In the regular season, he has a record of 76-40-1, a winning percentage of 65.4.

Gutekunst was hired in 2018 before he appointed LaFleur a year later, and the two will remain tied at the hip after they each signed multi-year extensions. Executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball has also signed a long-term extension.

“We are excited to extend our commitment to Brian, Matt and Russ as the leaders of our football operations. Their steadfast dedication, passion and collaboration have remained constant in our drive to compete at the highest level,” said Packers President and CEO Ed Policy.

“While we are all disappointed with the way this season ended, we remain aligned in purpose and have spent considerable time over the past weeks collaborating on a path forward.

“I am exceedingly confident we have the right people to achieve our goal. The entire Packers organization looks forward to supporting every effort to bring our community and fans another championship that they very much deserve.”