Rich Eisen, NFL analyst, delivers bold message to Packers fans about the future of HC Matt LaFleur

Just a few days after their painful Wild Card exit at the hands of the Bears, their biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers are signaling full confidence in Matt LaFleur and their long‑term vision.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the “Cheeseheads” are looking to “finalize a long‑term agreement with LaFleur in the coming days.” Schefter added that the head coach still has one year left on his current deal, but both sides want clarity about the future.

However, not everyone is so confident that LaFleur will be staying. Rich Eisen for one has his doubts and warns that Green Bay should be careful what they wish for, even with the likes of John Harbaugh available after being released by the Ravens...

“Packers fans want Matt LaFleur gone, many of them that I know,” Eisen said on his Emmy-nominated show this week. “If it wasn’t for the seventh seed, they keep missing the playoffs... they certainly won’t appreciate Adam Schefter’s latest report that the Packers are trying to get a long-term deal done with Matt LaFleur. He’s got one year left on his contract, and unless you are the Cincinnati Bengals or the Dallas Cowboys, you don’t go into your last year of a contract with your coach because it’s difficult for that coach to coach the team up when it’s like, ‘Why I should I be listening to you if things aren’t going well? You’re gonna be gone soon...’ That’s the general sense of why you would extend somebody.

“The fact that they’ve gone into contract chats with him doesn’t mean he’s staying... these things can fall through. If they tell him, ‘You’ve gotta make this change, that change, this change for your money’, and they go full Don Draper and basically say that’s what the money is for, his response might be, ‘I’m not signing a long-term deal’”.

Eisen also had a direct message for Packers fans regarding LaFleur’s future: “I think you would be wondering if you made the right move if he isn’t around anymore. I think you need to be careful what you wish for... Jordan Love gave a full-throated voice of support to the coach on Saturday night - Jordan Love didn’t lose that game. I think they’d be making a mistake by not keeping this guy. I’m not boots-on-the-ground in Wisconsin, I’m not boots-on-the-ground as a Packers fan, but there’s a lot of love for John Harbaugh out there right now from my friends in Wisconsin... I will just say this - one of the reasons why LaFleur is on a hotseat - certainly with Packers fans is: weird offensive droughts mid-games, not going to the Super Bowl with your stud veteran at the end of his career in Green Bay, MVP right? in [Aaron] Rodgers, things that make you scratch your head, like ‘How did we blow that game!?’ That’s one of the reasons why John Harbaugh is available. So you’d be replacing one guy, who’s an incredibly cultured guy, an incredible coach with another one - with the same set of issues.

“I think John Harbaugh would be an incredible hire for anyone who hires him. But fire Matt LaFleur for him? Be careful what you wish for. That comes with a lot of change that I don’t think the Packers usually have in their DNA. I just don’t think it’s coming, nor do I think it should happen. I think John Harbaugh should wind up on the sidelines at the Giants - now that’s a different story. It’s a tough loss for Green Bay, I totally understand that, but blow it all up? I’m not so sure about that”.

Matt LaFleur’s track record in Green Bay

LaFleur, 46, took over the Packers in 2019, and seven seasons later, he’s still chasing his first Super Bowl appearance. His regular‑season résumé is strong — 76 wins, 40 losses, and one tie — but his postseason record tells a different story, with just three wins in nine playoff games (3–6).

Elsewhere around the league

The Cleveland Browns, who fired Kevin Stefanski last week, interviewed former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on Monday morning. As for Stefanski, he spent the weekend meeting with the Atlanta Falcons about their head‑coaching vacancy. Harbaugh has met with Giants exec Chris Mara and is very interested in taking the job, according to reports.

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