The Green Bay Packers find themselves in a bit of a contract standoff - not the kind that usually plays out with star quarterbacks or high-priced free agents, but with head coach Matt LaFleur. Six days removed from their season-ending loss, the conversation in Green Bay has shifted from what went wrong on the field to what’s next off it - specifically, whether LaFleur will be back on the sidelines in 2026 and beyond.
At the center of this negotiation is LaFleur’s agent, Trace Armstrong of Athletes First, a major player in the coaching representation world. According to reports, the sticking point isn’t necessarily how much LaFleur gets paid - it’s how long he’s under contract.
That’s a key detail. When both sides are haggling over years instead of dollars, it usually means the team wants flexibility, and the coach wants security.
And that makes sense. LaFleur is reportedly pushing for a four- or five-year deal, which would include the 2026 season he's already under contract for.
The Packers, meanwhile, seem hesitant to go that far - not because they’re unwilling to pay him, but because committing to that length of a deal comes with obvious risks. If things go south, they’d be on the hook for a hefty buyout.
But here’s the thing: buyouts happen all the time in the NFL. They’re not ideal, but they’re far from unheard of.
Just look at the Las Vegas Raiders. They handed Chip Kelly a three-year, $18 million deal to be their offensive coordinator - and then fired him in November.
That’s $18 million in guaranteed money, gone. Yet the Raiders, often labeled as a cash-strapped franchise, are now carrying the financial weight of four head coaches and three general managers on their payroll.
It’s not a sustainable model, but it proves one thing: if a team wants to move on, they’ll find a way to pay for it.
So while the Packers might not want to hand out a long-term deal, the idea that they’re boxed in financially just doesn’t hold up. The NFL is full of examples where teams have eaten big contracts to make a change. It’s not wise to make a habit of it, but it’s also not the end of the world.
There’s also the looming question of what happens if the two sides can’t come to terms. If no extension gets done, LaFleur would enter 2026 as a lame-duck coach - and that’s a tough sell in the NFL.
It makes it harder to hire assistants, harder to build continuity, and frankly, it sends the wrong message to the locker room. In most cases, teams either extend or move on.
And if the Packers believe LaFleur is still one of the top options on the market - and all indications are that they do - then they’re going to have to make a decision soon.
If it comes to a split, a trade becomes a real possibility. And while it might sound unusual to trade a head coach, there’s plenty of precedent for it in NFL history. Here are just a few notable examples:
- Don Shula to Miami (1970): The Colts received a first-round pick - technically a league-issued fine, but still a significant return.
- Bill Parcells to the Jets (1997): The Patriots got a haul: first-, second-, third- and fourth-round picks, plus $300,000 in cash.
- Mike Holmgren to Seattle (1999): The Packers received a second-round pick.
- Bill Belichick to New England (2000): The Jets got a first-rounder and some pick swaps.
- Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay (2002): The Raiders landed two firsts, two seconds and $8 million.
- Herm Edwards to Kansas City (2006): A fourth-round pick went to the Jets.
- Bruce Arians to Tampa Bay (2019): Arizona swapped a seventh-rounder for a sixth.
- Sean Payton to Denver (2023): The Saints received a first-round pick and a pick swap.
This isn’t uncharted territory. And in several of those cases - Shula, Parcells, Gruden, Arians - the coach went on to win a Super Bowl with their new team.
Holmgren made it to the big game with Seattle. Payton’s Broncos are currently sitting atop the AFC, and while time will tell how that story ends, it’s another reminder that a coaching trade can pay off in a big way.
As for Green Bay, the question now is whether they’re willing to meet LaFleur’s demands or start fielding calls. Because if they wait too long, they risk losing leverage - and possibly their head coach.
The ball’s in the Packers’ court.