While other franchises continue maneuvering and adjusting their leadership, the Green Bay Packers have remained steady under head coach Matt LaFleur. Likely deserving to be considered among the best NFL coaches today, he probably doesn’t get enough praise for his job at the franchise’s helm in six years.
Case in point, the NFC North has made many headlines during the 2025 offseason for coaching news. Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is now the head coach of the Chicago Bears, which will have a significant impact on the division shortly.
We’ll look at three main reasons why LaFleur should be considered the best coach in the NFL.
3 Reasons Why Matt LaFleur is Among the Best NFL Coaches Today
Jordan Love’s development
It was anyone’s guess about how Green Bay would perform once Aaron Rodgers left the franchise. NFL odds weren’t bullish on the Packers after a proven commodity departed, but Jordan Love has stepped in without much of a drop-off. A lot of the credit for the seamless transition should be attributed to LaFleur.
It’s not like Love received a ton of first-team reps in practice or training camp while Rodgers was in Green Bay. Love had to wait his turn during the first two years of his career, but LaFleur made sure that he brought the youngster along, even if he wasn’t seeing the field. LaFleur had the eventual signal caller work with proven coaches who would hone Love’s mechanics before he was thrown into meaningful games.
Proven flexibility
It’s an often-expressed cliché, but some joke that the NFL stands for “Not For Long.” While LaFleur’s tenure in Green Bay has flown in the face of that trope, it remains accurate regarding roster turnover. Despite losing the likes of Rodgers and Aaron Jones, LaFleur keeps the ship moving in the right direction with a new cast of characters.
The Packers don’t have a superstar pass catcher on the roster. Still, LaFleur has done a great job of weaving the likes of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks in and out of the lineup in recent years. It’ll be interesting to see if the rotation changes after the team selected wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As has been stated many times, Golden is the first receiver the Packers have taken in the first round since 2002.
Survived the Aaron Rodgers experience
We’re several seasons on from his departure, but there is still something to be said about LaFleur navigating the relationship with Rodgers early in his head coaching career. LaFleur came to Green Bay as a young offensive coordinator who previously worked with the Tennessee Titans and had to earn Rodgers’ respect. Their connection proved to be strong, and it’s fair to say that many in his shoes might not have been able to win Rodgers over.
LaFleur also let apparent criticism by Rodgers slide off his back, as the quarterback appeared to lean into the notion that LaFleur made the wrong decision in the 2021 NFC title game. Other coaches might have taken that personally and let it affect their job in subsequent seasons, but LaFleur didn’t.
He’s turned naysayers who couldn’t see Love replacing Rodgers into believers. Few can replace Aaron Rodgers, but Matt LaFleur did everything possible to soften that blow and move the franchise forward.
