The Green Bay Packers are locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, and finished their regular season with a 9-7-1 record. Should the Chicago Bears defeat the Detroit Lions in Week 18, the Packers and Bears would clash for the third time in a month, which many fans would welcome considering how exciting the first two games between the two teams were.
With that in mind, one insider is monitoring a potential change at head coach for the Packers. Mike Florio of NBC says he could see the Packers hiring current (for now) Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski to be their next head coach if they move on from Matt LaFleur
"Back in Week 3, the Browns stunned the Packers, 13-10," Florio writes. "And while the Packers have still made the playoffs, they’re the No. 7 seed for the third straight year. Without expansion of the postseason field in 2020, the Packers would be on a four-year streak of no playoff appearances."
"That could make the wild-card round critical for coach Matt LaFleur and G.M. Brian Gutekunst. New team president Ed Policy, who grew up a Browns fan, made it clear in June 2024 that neither LaFleur nor Gutekunst would get contract extensions before the end of the 2025 season. And with both signed through 2026, Policy added that he’s not a fan of lame-duck arrangements."
While this is all speculation, we have seen surprise firings in the past. Very few expected the Tennessee Titans to fire Mike Vrabel at the end of the 2023 season. The same can be said about the Seattle Seahawks moving Pete Carroll out of their head coaching position. Green Bay has been a playoff team in each of the last three seasons, but all have come as the No. 7 seed. Should they be a one-and-done, perhaps the Packers would make a change.