After a rather humiliating loss to the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers’ front office was expected to make some difficult decisions to restructure the building. Instead, they handed head coach Matt LaFleur a multiyear contract extension, and now they look very much on track to keep some more names in Green Bay next season.

According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Packers are also expected to extend the contracts of general manager Brian Gutekunst and executive vice president Russ Ball, as NFL writer Kevin Patra reported.

Gutekunst is about as ingrained in the organization as it gets. He’s been with the Packers since 1999 and climbed the ladder until taking over as general manager in 2018. He hired LaFleur ahead of the 2019 season, drafted quarterback Jordan Love, made the call to move on from franchise icon Aaron Rodgers, and brought in Micah Parsons this season.

His contract, like LaFleur’s, was originally set to run through the end of the 2026 season. But new CEO Ed Policy, who replaced longtime team president Mark Murphy this past summer, made it clear he isn’t a fan of waiting things out. Policy has said he prefers to avoid “lame-duck” situations with either a head coach or a general manager heading into the final year of a deal.

“I’m generally opposed—I’d never say never—[but] I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract,” Policy said. “That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left—not always, but normally.”

Then there’s Russ Ball, another long-tenured pillar in the building. Ball has been with the Packers since 2008, first as vice president of football administration and player finance before being promoted in 2018. He’s long been one of the most influential voices behind the scenes.

Back in 2022, the Packers quietly extended Ball’s contract alongside LaFleur’s and Gutekunst’s, signaling long-term confidence in the trio. Four years later, all signs point to that same group staying together. And as for Matt LaFleur, this isn’t just a prove-it deal. It’s more than that.

Matt LaFleur and Packers’ relationship is a ‘real commitment’

A source told ESPN that Matt LaFleur’s deal is “not a prove-it contract, but a real commitment,” which says plenty about where the Green Bay Packers stand right now.

The sides sat down early in the week to talk through the organization’s direction. In the room were LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst, and vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball. The priority was clear from the start: lock in the future of the trio, beginning with the head coach.

By Friday night, the framework was in place. The deal was finalized then and signed Saturday. All of it came just days after another painful playoff exit. Green Bay went out in the wild-card round for the second straight season. But more than that, it was the way in which they went out.

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They blew an 18-point halftime lead, surrendered 25 points in the fourth quarter, and watched the season end at the hands of LaFleur’s longtime foil, Ben Johnson.

Going into that game, it was reported that LaFleur wasn’t coaching for his job. Win or lose, he was expected back. After the way it unfolded, fans figured that might change. It didn’t. Under new team president Ed Policy, the first major move was to get LaFleur secured long-term and remove any doubt about where the organization is headed.

LaFleur owns a 76-40-1 record, the fourth-best winning percentage (.654) among active head coaches. His 76 wins are tied for the second-most by any coach through his first seven seasons, and the Packers have reached January in six of those seven years.

The shine fades when we talk about January. Over the past four seasons, LaFleur is 37-30-1 with just one playoff win. Along the way, he’s gone through four coordinators in his first five years. Now that he’s extended, the team and the fans would hope to see a better postseason record and some consistency.