Packers’ Offseason Raises Eyebrows After Wild Card Collapse
The Green Bay Packers came into the offseason with a bitter taste in their mouths. Up 21-3 on the road in the Wild Card Round, they looked poised to punch their ticket to the Divisional Round.
Instead, they watched that 18-point lead evaporate. The collapse was stunning, and the fallout is already shaping the early offseason narrative in Green Bay - and not in a good way.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t just a tough loss. It was the kind of postseason unraveling that forces a franchise to look in the mirror.
But instead of major changes at the top, the Packers doubled down. Head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst both received contract extensions, signaling a vote of confidence from ownership despite the postseason flameout.
That decision alone raised plenty of eyebrows, but it’s what followed that’s made this offseason feel like a step backward.
Coaching Exodus
The Packers have been a model of consistency in recent years, especially when it comes to their coaching staff. But that stability is now in flux.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is gone, taking the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins. That move alone would be significant, but it didn’t stop there.
Hafley took assistants Ryan Downard and Wendel Davis with him to South Florida.
Then came more departures. Quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion took over as the new offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley left for a role on the Dallas Cowboys’ staff. That’s six key coaches out the door - a major shake-up for a team that, just weeks ago, was playing playoff football.
Yes, some replacements have already been made. But let’s not sugarcoat it: losing that many experienced voices in one offseason hurts.
These weren’t fringe assistants - they were integral to the Packers’ recent success. Replacing that kind of institutional knowledge and cohesion doesn’t happen overnight.
The McManus Dilemma
Then there’s the kicking situation. Brandon McManus was front and center in the Packers’ playoff collapse, missing two field goals and an extra point in the loss to Chicago. In a game decided by a single possession, those missed points loomed large.
And yet, as of now, McManus is still the guy. There’s been no indication that Green Bay plans to move on from the veteran kicker. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is also expected to return, despite the unit’s struggles in the most critical game of the season.
That kind of loyalty - to both players and coaches - can be admirable. But it can also be costly. In this case, it feels like the Packers are clinging to familiarity at the expense of progress.
A Shaky Start, But Time Remains
If you’re grading the Packers’ offseason so far, it’s hard to go higher than a C-. The coaching turnover, the decision to stand pat with McManus, and the extensions for LaFleur and Gutekunst all point to a franchise that’s treading water rather than pushing forward.
But there’s a silver lining here: it’s still early. Free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft are right around the corner. There’s plenty of time for Green Bay to course-correct, add talent, and reshape the staff in a way that gives this team a better shot at making a deeper run next season.
The concern, though, is that the Packers might be too comfortable - too willing to run it back with the same leadership that oversaw one of the most painful playoff losses in recent memory.
If that mindset doesn’t change, they could be staring down another early exit this time next year.