Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur must feel like he’s going through the offseason from hell. His 2025 season ended catastrophically when his team coughed up a 21-3 lead in the wild card round to lose to the Chicago Bears. That is a cardinal sin for any Packers coach. The following months were marked by constant discussion about whether the team should consider moving on. After all, LaFleur has one playoff win in three appearances since Aaron Rodgers left. That alone was bad enough.
He never could’ve imagined it would get worse. That came when running back Josh Jacobs, the engine of Green Bay’s offense, was charged with multiple felonies involving domestic violence. There are reports of him physically abusing his partner. Jacobs has since pleaded no contest to the charges, but it’s not yet clear what punishment awaits him. Either way, it is a really bad look.
LaFleur had a chance to make a firm statement on the situation ahead of the team’s season opener. Instead, he tried to dodge the question when asked.
Matt LaFleur continues to show cracks in his leadership.
Nobody doubts the head coach is one of the better offensive minds in the league. He’s managed to keep the Packers competitive almost every year he’s been in charge. Yet every time the team has seemingly needed him to take a stand, be it on or off the field, he has shrunken away from the moment. It was settling for a field goal in the 2020 NFC Championship. It is during late-game collapses that his team is confronted with increased pressure from opponents. Now it’s the inability to speak out on a sensitive topic because he’s afraid to anger one of his best players.
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You know it’s a bad look when even local beat writers are calling him out for taking such a weak stance. Matt LaFleur had a chance to send a powerful message to his players that they should be held to a higher standard as men after seeing what happened with Jacobs. Instead, he protected somebody who very likely beat a woman. It was already easy to dislike the man because of the team he coaches. Now, fans across the NFC North have another reason. Hell, even Green Bay fans have a legitimate reason besides the choking.
Beating him will be even more satisfying this season.
Expectations for the Packers remain high. Most see them as one of the two favorites to claim the division crown alongside a resurgent Detroit Lions. Their early schedule certainly helps. While three of the first four games are on the road, two are against the Jets and Falcons, who were terrible last season. Week 5 will bring the long-anticipated rematch with the Bears at Soldier Field. You can bet LaFleur will have a sense of dire urgency to win that game. If he fails, the calls for his job will get far louder.
The big question is whether he’ll have to do it without Jacobs. It is already known that star pass rusher Micah Parsons won’t be available, as he is still recovering from his torn ACL last season. If Jacobs is suspended, the Packers will lose by far the most reliable player on offense. A poor start could be a death knell, as their schedule gets way harder in the second half.
