Shortly after the Green Bay Packers suffered a stunning wild-card collapse against the Chicago Bears, they signed head coach Matt LaFleur to a five-year contract extension. General manager Brian Gutekunst was also extended, showing that Green Bay is still putting some trust in the two despite another abrupt playoff exit, which is something Detroit Lions fans will welcome.
That does not seem to matter for the Packers' players, though, who have made it clear how they feel about their HC. According to Aaron Nagler, co-founder of Cheesehead TV, LaFleur dropped a full letter grade this season and ranks second to last in the league in respect for players in this season's NFLPA grading. The Packers dropped 14 spots to 21st overall in this year's report card, marking the steepest year-over-year decline of any team.
Of course, that alone does not entirely speak of a team's success. However, when you consider how poorly LaFleur was graded despite receiving a contract extension, the players have clearly admitted to Lions fans how they feel about the situation.
For a franchise like Detroit, looking to get back to contending for the division and avenging a 2025 sweep by Green Bay, those around the Motor City must love what they are hearing.
Lions Will Love Packers Players' Low Opinion of Matt LaFleur
A lot of that lack of respect is a culmination of the coaching changes that have taken place.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is the new HC of the Miami Dolphins, bringing assistant coaches Ryan Downard and Wendel Davis with him. LaFleur even let quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion depart as he was hired as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. Passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley also left to join the Dallas Cowboys staff, giving LaFleur and the Packers a rough start to the offseason, to say the least.
Despite numerous missed field goals and special teams mishaps throughout the season, the timing of ST coordinator Rich Bisaccia's exit could not have been worse for Green Bay. While Bisaccia should have stepped down weeks earlier, the delayed announcement left the Packers with far fewer options to fill the role. Regardless, the glaring weakness on the Packers roster in 2025 was special teams, and there's no telling if the next man up can turn things around.
When the Packers were fully healthy in 2025, you could easily make the case that they were one of the best teams in the NFL. However, tight end Tucker Kraft and pass-rusher Micah Parsons suffered season-ending ACL injuries, so neither side of the ball was fully healthy. With that said, LaFleur was once again in the spotlight for how Green Bay performed against some of the league's bottom-dwellers and not being able to maintain the 21-3 lead over the Bears in the Wild Card Round.
The Lions must focus on improving their 22nd-ranked scoring defense and the offensive line's inconsistent play to get back at the Packers. The early offseason developments out of Green Bay are a nice way to start for them without even doing anything.
There is still a lot of time between now and the start of another NFL season, but the respect level between LaFleur and his players is definitely worth monitoring. As the staff gets finalized and the 2026 season approaches, perhaps that respect level will increase, but it is certainly not where it needs to be amid the rash of coaching changes in a short time.
After a disappointing playoff-less campaign, Lions fans can at least get some relief from the Packers' poor decision-making skills. It'll be interesting to see if Green Bay's braintrust finds even more ways to inject humor into Detroit's offseason before business picks up when free agency begins next month.