What's next for Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst after the Packers' wild-card loss?

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The last time the Green Bay Packers did anything with the contracts of coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst, it happened in relative secrecy. That won't be the case this time.

And that could be soon, following the Packers' 31-27 wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears Saturday.

Both LaFleur and Gutekunst, along with vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball, received contract extensions early in the 2022 offseason, yet the news did not leak out until right before training camp in July that year.

It was never clear why then-team president Mark Murphy tried to keep it a secret, especially since it was a no-brainer to extend them. Gutekunst was hired as GM in 2018, one year before LaFleur became head coach, and had helped construct teams that had a combined record of 45-19-1 to that point. That included a 39-10 mark under LaFleur. They both were headed into the final season of their contracts that offseason.

The situation now is less predictable, especially when it comes to LaFleur. Each of their contracts expires after the 2026 season, but now they have a new boss in Ed Policy, who replaced Murphy as president in July.

Saturday's playoff meltdown could complicate the situation if Policy was leaning toward bringing back LaFleur. Or perhaps it could solidify his thinking if he had been considering a coaching change. The Packers blew an 18-point halftime lead, gave up 25 points in the fourth quarter and crashed out in the opening round of the playoffs for the second straight season.

While the Packers made the playoffs for the sixth time in LaFleur's seven seasons, their past three appearances have been as a wild-card team. They have not won the NFC North since 2021 and have not hosted a playoff game since the divisional-round loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 22, 2022.

LaFleur was hired in 2019 in part to get quarterback Aaron Rodgers back to an MVP level, and that's exactly what happened. Rodgers won the award twice (2020 and 2021) under LaFleur. He was also charged with developing Jordan Love, who -- three seasons into his career as the starter -- appears to be their franchise quarterback.

How might things play out for Gutekunst and LaFleur in Green Bay this offseason, and what could it mean for the direction of the team in the years to come?

POLICY WAS SECOND-IN-COMMAND to Murphy when Gutekunst and LaFleur were hired, and he sat in on the interviews during the team's search for a general manager and coach.

Shortly before Policy took over last summer, he held a lengthy session with reporters who cover the Packers and discussed, in broad terms, his philosophy on GMs and coaches. At the time, he said he would prefer not to have people in those key positions heading into the final year of their contracts.

"Generally speaking, I would avoid lame-duck status," Policy said. "It's oftentimes difficult on everybody involved. But there are certain situations that probably call for it, so I would not say never."

Policy did not offer any contract extensions before the season. Whether intentional or not, that ramped up the scrutiny, especially on LaFleur. The first time his job security came up was after consecutive November losses to the Panthers and Eagles that dropped the Packers to 5-3-1.

"I'll leave that for everybody else to decide," LaFleur said at the time. "I'll just focus on the day-to-day. ... I feel like you're always coaching for everything in this league, you know? That's just my mindset. It's always been that way. You can't ever exhale. You gotta always be pushing. That's just my mindset and that will be my mindset 'til they tell me not to coach anymore."

During the season, Policy mostly remained in the background. Other than continuing Murphy's monthly column on the team's website, in which he answered hand-picked questions from fans, Policy did not let many in on his thinking.

In his most recent mailbag column, published on the eve of the regular-season finale, Policy offered somewhat of an endorsement of what the Packers did this season.

"I am extremely proud of how our team has handled many challenges," Policy wrote. "Last season we struggled within our division, and this year we improved to 4-1 [before losing to the Vikings in Week 18]. We've persevered through a litany of injuries and a very challenging schedule and placed ourselves in a position to compete for our ultimate goal, a Super Bowl championship."

GUTEKUNST AND LAFLEUR are not a package deal. It's possible that Policy could retain one without the other.

In that situation, Gutekunst would appear to stand on firmer ground. While the team president does not make football decisions, Policy supported Gutekunst when he made the August trade for edge rusher Micah Parsons. Two former high-ranking Packers employees said at the time of the trade that it was an indication Policy believed in Gutekunst.

Team and league sources said the belief is that if Gutekunst returns, he may do so with more power.

When Murphy hired Gutekunst in 2018, he took away the GM's power over the coach and had both report directly to the president. It was a dramatic shift in management philosophy that had dated to the early 1990s, a stretch during which the GM had control over the coach. Policy would have to rewrite Gutekunst's deal or sign him to a new contract to restore that power to the GM.

If Policy does that, he could pass off the decision about LaFleur's future to Gutekunst.

Either way, the LaFleur situation could be more pressing, and there are several possible outcomes.

LaFleur could sign a lucrative, long-term extension. He might not draw top money like the $18 million to $20 million per year that the highest-paid coaches in the league are believed to make, but he no doubt would want more than what he's making now, which is believed to be less than $10 million.

If Policy isn't willing to go that high, then the situation could go one of several other ways. LaFleur could agree to a short-term extension that adds another year or two to his contract, or Policy could do nothing and go against his initial stance on lame-duck coaches. In the latter situation, LaFleur might have enough leverage to force his way out, believing he could get another head coaching job.

There are other scenarios in which LaFleur could possibly not return. Policy could fire LaFleur, they could agree to a mutual parting of ways or the team could trade him. That last option would be a way for the Packers to recoup a first-round pick after they traded their No. 1 choice this year and next year to the Cowboys in the Parsons trade.

In any of those situations, LaFleur would likely become one of the top head coaching candidates for vacancies across the league.

LOOKING AT LAFLEUR'S full body of work, many teams might be thrilled with a 76-40-1 regular-season record. He has the fourth-best winning percentage (.654) among active NFL head coaches and is tied for the second-most regular-season wins by a coach in his first seven seasons in NFL history. But LaFleur is 37-30-1 over the past four regular seasons and has won only one of five playoff games.

Policy may also take into account the rash of injuries -- they began the playoffs with 15 players on injured reserve -- that played a role in the late-season slide. The Packers lost their final four games of the regular season, although LaFleur held most of his starters out of the finale to rest them for the playoffs.

As far as LaFleur's coaching staff goes, he could lose defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, whose defense has ranked fifth and 12th in the NFL in each of his first two seasons. Hafley is expected to interview for multiple head coaching positions, including perhaps the Packers' job if it opens. Hafley is LaFleur's third defensive coordinator, following Mike Pettine and Joe Barry.

LaFleur is also on his third special teams coordinator in Rich Bisaccia, whose units have remained inconsistent, and his second offensive coordinator in Adam Stenavich, who succeeded Nathaniel Hackett.

Perhaps Policy would ask LaFleur to make changes on his staff or even give up calling the offensive plays.

Asked after the game how he feels about being the Packers coach, LaFleur said, "It means everything to me. This is the greatest organization in the world, in my opinion. It's very humbling. I'm certainly disappointed right now.

"I'm disappointed for everybody that's associated with the Green Bay Packers. I'm disappointed for our locker room. I'm disappointed for our fans. I'm disappointed for our leadership, all our employees, everybody involved with the Green Bay Packers right now."

Whatever happens, team sources expect a speedy resolution and a public announcement, unlike the last time around.