Packers fans may be frustrated enough to dream big, but the Mike Tomlin chatter around Green Bay is a fantasy that doesn’t solve much of anything.
The Packers have dropped seven of their last eight games since Micah Parsons got hurt, and the losses have been ugly in all the wrong ways: a blown double-digit lead in the Wild Card round against the Chicago Bears, a blown lead to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, and a blowout loss in the home opener. Their only victory came in overtime against the ever-struggling New York Jets. That means Green Bay was awfully close to opening the season 0-3 after finishing last season with five straight losses.
It’s no surprise, then, that plenty of fans want Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst gone. And while both may deserve serious heat, the idea of swapping in Tomlin doesn’t hold up.
For one thing, Tomlin is under contract to do TV this season. Whether he has a clause to return to the league is unclear, and anything beyond that is speculation.
The Steelers didn’t fire him, either - he chose to take some time off. Even if he wanted back in, Pittsburgh still controls his contract, which means Green Bay would have to give up assets to trade for him rather than simply hire him.
The bigger issue is whether Tomlin would actually fix what’s broken in Green Bay. LaFleur’s problems are pretty clear: he struggles in big games, gets too cute when he doesn’t need to, and his game and clock management are borderline atrocious, especially when the Packers are ahead.
But if that’s the complaint, why trade him for a coach whose Steelers teams too often settled into .500 football and first-round playoff exits? It’s been almost a decade since Tomlin’s last playoff win, and it’s been even longer since Pittsburgh looked like a real contender.
Yes, Tomlin has long been billed as a culture builder and a player-friendly coach. But that reputation doesn’t exactly erase the names Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Chase Claypool, Le’Veon Bell, or James Harrison.
And while Green Bay’s defense isn’t flawless, it isn’t the root of the problem. The offense is the bigger mess: a borderline-amateur offensive line, a subpar running game, and a quarterback who has improved but still leans into his gunslinger habits and hero-ball tendencies once the pocket collapses and time starts slipping away.
Tomlin is a good coach who, in this view, was given too much credit for a Super Bowl ring years ago - the same sort of runway Mike McCarthy once enjoyed. Packers fans knew exactly how they felt about McCarthy, and the argument here is simple: why would they want his defensive equivalent?
Even if the Tomlin rumors were real, there’s no reason to believe he should be the answer in Green Bay. And since LaFleur just got an extension, there’s not even a guarantee the Packers are moving on from him this season.
In Other News...
Brewers NLDS Prep Suddenly Hinges On One Unsettled Infield Issue
The Brewers week off as the top seed has given them a little breathing room before the National League Division Series, but it has also turned one infield situation into the main item to watch. Andrew Vaughn is back at practice after getting past the flu, which helps stabilize the group, while the attention is now on Joey Ortiz and the knee issue that has kept his status for the NLDS from being settled.
Milwaukee has contingency plans ready if Ortiz cannot go, with Cooper Pratt and David Hamilton expected to handle shortstop and third base, respectively. For a club trying to get through the layoff cleanly and enter October aligned on the infield, the next few days will matter a lot more than the practice field reps themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Face Tough 2027 Decisions As Playoff Run Begins
The Brewers are heading into the postseason with October baseball again on the horizon, but the bigger conversation in Milwaukee may already be drifting beyond this fall. As the National League Division Series opens Oct. 3, the roster is also carrying the weight of a looming offseason that could reshape the group that gets this far in the first place.
Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta and several other key names are among the players tied to free agency or contract decisions after the season, which means the front office will have more than one difficult call to make once the playoff run ends. For a club that has spent the year building toward this moment, the question is not just how deep this team can go now, but how much of it can realistically be kept together for the next push. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy Left One Brewers Playoff Decision Wide Open
Pat Murphy has already set one piece of the Brewers postseason pitching puzzle, naming Jacob Misiorowski to start Game 1 of the 2026 playoffs. Logan Henderson is lined up for Game 2, giving Milwaukee at least a tentative plan as it looks ahead to the opening round of October baseball, even if the opponent and game times are still unknown.
Murphy, though, left room to adjust the second game if circumstances change, which keeps some intrigue around how the rotation will unfold once the matchup is finally set. For a Brewers club trying to get its best arms aligned for the biggest stage, the first start is settled, but the rest of the picture is still very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]