Packers players voice support for Matt LaFleur amid contract talks

The Green Bay Packers' on-field leaders showed support for Matt LaFleur when speaking to the media on locker cleanout day, as the Packers head coach enters discussions with president and CEO Ed Policy over a contract extension.

There is dissonance in the fanbase about whether LaFleur should be kept on or let go, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday the 46-year-old, who has one year left on his current deal, and the team are “expected to try to work out a deal in the coming days” to keep him in town.

In their final media availability of the season, many of the Packers’ most important players threw their support behind LaFleur.

Speaking to the media for the first time since his season-ending ACL tear, Tucker Kraft said: “Matt’s been nothing but generous to me, my wife and my family since we’ve been here.

“He’s just trying to get the best out of every single one of his players, and he comes in with the right mentality every single day to coach us up to be the best version of ourselves.

“I don’t think there’s another coach that could come in and do it as well as he does. It’s only getting better here. I think Matt’s an outstanding head coach, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll remain here as a Packer, I think a lot of that talk is pretty silly."

Micah Parsons also gave a strong endorsement of LaFleur. When asked if he is the right coach to lead them to a Super Bowl, Parsons said: “I believe so. I’ve had my share of coaches and Matt’s one of the best guys and people I’ve been around.

“I reached out to him when I started seeing (talk about his future) and said: ‘When I agreed to come here, you were part of the reason, I want you to be a part of this, I love you and I think you’re a great coach.'"

Parsons continued: “He cares so much about the players, I don’t think people realize that. You can get spoiled with good coaching and you don’t realize it until they’re gone, and I don’t want to be at that point where we realize we let such a great coach go."

Jayden Reed said of LaFleur: “He belongs here. The past three years I’ve been here, I’ve been to the playoffs every year. He’s created a winning atmosphere here. I think he’s a great coach. I feel pretty good about Matt."

Devonte Wyatt, Christian Watson and Bo Melton also reportedly vouched for LaFleur, as did his quarterback Jordan Love in his postgame press conference after Saturday night’s Wild Card loss to Chicago.

Love said: “I definitely think Matt should be the head coach. I got a lot of love for Matt, I think he does a great job."

Josh Jacobs pushed back on the criticism around LaFleur from sections of the fanbase, saying: “I’m not too much concerned about Matt, I feel like the fans put way too much pressure on him. I think we take it for granted how much winning he does."

“He’s become a great leader since I’ve been here and he cares a lot about this program and the people in the building. I see him put in extra work every day and I know what he means to the players. Speaking for myself, I’m going to stand firm on wanting him to be the head coach."

It certainly does not seem like LaFleur has lost the locker room, based on the strong statements from his players following another disappointing early playoff exit.

The signs are pointing towards him staying in Green Bay in 2026 and beyond, following Adam Schefter’s report that LaFleur and the team are expected to try to hash out a contract in the coming days, with the head coach having just one year left on his current agreement.

It seems that would be a popular result among the Packers players, even if it would divide the fanbase.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers players voice support for Matt LaFleur amid contract talks