Sources: Packers bringing back Matt LaFleur on multiyear deal - ESPN

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers are keeping Matt LaFleur as head coach, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

He has signed to a multiyear contract extension that a source said is «not a prove-it deal but a real commitment.» New deals for general manager Brian Gutekunst and vice president Russ Ball are also in the works, sources said.

It was the first major decision by new team president Ed Policy, who took over in July for Mark Murphy. It was Murphy who hired LaFleur in 2019 to replace Super Bowl-winning coach Mike McCarthy.

The Packers lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs for the second straight season, but this time it was in a devastating fashion. Not only did they blow an 18-point halftime lead and give up 25 points in the fourth quarter, but they did it to the rival Chicago Bears.

LaFleur and Policy spoke briefly on the plane ride home from Chicago after the loss and then again after they returned to Green Bay to discuss the coach's future.

LaFleur had one year left on the contract extension he signed in 2022. He would not say whether he'd be willing to coach the 2026 season without a contract extension, but he reiterated that he would prefer to remain as the Packers coach even though he likely would be a top candidate for other NFL head coaching jobs.

«This is one of one,» LaFleur said Sunday when he met reporters the day after the season ended. «I love this place. I love the people… I love our players, the locker room, everybody in our organization. I mean, this is a unique place. The community has been outstanding.

»I've lived in other places, so I think this is a unique place, and it's a special place. My kids love it here, my family loves it here."

Policy said last summer that he would prefer not to