This felt like not a matter of if but when. The Packers have quietly extended the contracts of three key pieces. Coach Matt LaFleur, GM Brian Gutekunst as well as VP/Director of Football Operations Russ Ball will all continue to make decisions for the Packers. The terms of the contracts are not known to the public at this time. President Mark Murphy stated in a press conference that all of these people would be Packers employees “for years to come”. It is great to see the Packers extend LaFleur and Gutekunst.
LaFleur’s Success
LaFleur’s success goes unnoticed by a lot of the NFL. His winning percentage is historic. He has won nearly 80% of his games as the Packers head coach. After a regular season loss, he is a perfect 9-0. The players respect him and love playing for him. He has taken a dull offense and transformed it into a powerhouse in a short amount of time. The Packers hit a home run with their coaching hire and it makes sense that they would want to keep him around.
Gutekunst’s Success in the Draft
When people think of Gutekunst’s time with the Packers, they often think about the Jordan Love pick. What people forget is how many picks Gutekunst has hit on. Here’s a list of draft picks of Gutekunst: Jaire Alexander, Marques Valdes Scatling, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, Elgton Jenkins, AJ Dillon, Eric Stokes, Josh Myers. The 2022 draft picks are a mystery but on paper look like hits. This isn’t a blind squirrel finding a nut. This is consistently finding top talent throughout the draft. The Jordan Love pick might also not turn out to be a flop. Not all draft picks are good right out of the gate. Gutekunst clearly knows how to locate talent and make good decisions.
As usual with contract extensions, the Packers have kept it quiet. However, there wasn’t really any worry that the Packers were going to let Lafleur or Gutekunst leave. It is nice to see Murphy openly say that the Packers will extend Lafleur and Gutekunst. These two, along with Ball, make it so the Packers have great leadership moving forward.