The Packers are getting ready to open their preseason schedule against the Steelers later this week, and before the two teams meet on Thursday night, Matt LaFleur took a moment to salute the man now leading Pittsburgh.
LaFleur spoke warmly about Mike McCarthy, calling attention both to their relationship and to the résumé McCarthy has built across some of the league’s biggest brands.
“I've got so much respect for him. First of all, how he's always treated me, and secondly, just by what he's accomplished here, and it's pretty cool, when he got the Pittsburgh job, I'm like ‘Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers. That's pretty special,'” he said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
McCarthy’s path has taken him through several of the NFL’s marquee franchises, including Green Bay, where he delivered the organization’s last Super Bowl title in 2010. Now he’s set to take over in Pittsburgh after former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin exited following another Wild Card loss last season.
For LaFleur, the 2026 season comes with a different kind of pressure. He drew plenty of heat after Green Bay’s playoff collapse against the divisional rival Chicago Bears last year, but he remains in charge and will try to show that the finish was driven more by injuries than by any real step backward from the Packers.
Green Bay enters the year with one of the NFC’s strongest rosters and will once again have to navigate the NFC North’s loaded race.
The Packers and Steelers are scheduled to kick off at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday.
In Other News...
Packers Suddenly Have A Growing Keisean Nixon Problem
Keisean Nixon entered Packers training camp with a clear opportunity to strengthen his case for a starting cornerback role, but the recent picture in practice has been a lot less settled. Green Bay has started giving first-string reps to Brandon Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste instead of Nixon in recent workouts, a notable shift for a veteran trying to hold off younger competition and stay in the mix at a key spot in the secondary.
Nixons uneven stretch has not gone unnoticed, especially after he was beaten multiple times in practice, including during Family Night. The Packers have not made any final roster decisions, but the changing rep distribution suggests the team may be rethinking how he fits into the cornerback rotation as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]
MarShawn Lloyd Puts A New Packers Camp Question In Focus
MarShawn Lloyd is back on the field for Packers training camp, and for a team that spent the better part of last season waiting for him to get healthy, that alone is notable. The second-year running back missed his entire sophomore campaign because of injuries, so simply seeing him participating again adds a different layer to Green Bays backfield picture as camp opens and jobs start to take shape.
Lloyd has sounded encouraged about where he stands physically and how ready he feels to help, which only sharpens the question facing the Packers now. Josh Jacobs remains the clear lead back, but if Lloyd can stay on the field and keep building through camp, Green Bay will have a decision to make about how much room there is for him in the rotation and how quickly that chance can arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Nickel Depth Problem They Didnt Expect
The Packers nickel picture got a lot murkier in a hurry during practice, when a pair of defensive backs were forced out and the team suddenly had to start sorting through its slot options. Green Bay has been leaning on Javon Bullard as the starting slot corner, and with his status now uncertain, the ripple effect reached quickly into the rest of the secondary.
Johnathan Baldwin, who had been part of the conversation for depth at the position, was also moved off the roster with an injury designation after a knee issue in practice. That leaves the Packers weighing alternatives behind Bullard, with Kitan Oladapo and Keisean Nixon among the names that could be asked to help stabilize the backup nickel role if the situation lingers. [Read more 🡒]