The Green Bay Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur have reportedly agreed to a multi-year extension.

LaFleur was heading into the final year of his contract with the Packers and the idea of a "lame duck" season didn't really jive with new team president Ed Policy.

After the Packers blew their 21-3 halftime lead in the Wild Card playoffs to the Chicago Bears, it seemed realistic that Policy could decide to part ways with LaFleur in an effort to try to get away from the "anti-clutch" culture that has seemingly developed under his watch.

A trade was also an option, but more than anything, the reporting that kept coming out around the league suggested that the Packers were favoring the idea of an extension. Clearly, they've been appreciative of LaFleur's ability to win a bunch of games and get the team into the playoffs (he's done so in six of his seven seasons), and on Saturday, that appreciation turned into a long-term deal.

"He has signed 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," wrote ESPN reporter Rob Demovsky. 

So that's it. Despite fan consternation, the regime that has led the Packers through the transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

That doens't mean there still shouldn't be changes in Green Bay, though, because the way this season ended (on a five-game losing streak, including the collapse to the Bears) was unacceptable.

These three changes are most important, though one of them is somewhat out of the Packers' hands.

Jeff Hafley has been a great defensive coordinator for the Packers. Is he elite? Probably not. His unit has been more than competent in the two seasons he was in charge of it, though.

Hafley is more than likely going to get a head coaching position, so this change is going to be thrust onto the Packers.

Who are they going to get to replace him?

There are several intriguing options (some more realistic than others), but the change at defensive coordinator must be hit out of the park by LaFleur.

He has an iffy history with hiring coordinators, but he must get this one right.

The Packers' special teams played a direct role in each of the losses last season.

Heck, in the two losses against the Bears, including the playoffs, a botched onside kick return cost them the first game, and two missed field goals and a missed extra point cost them the second.

Rich Bisaccia has been in charge of this unit since 2022, and he's also the assistant head coach. 

What has he done in Green Bay, though? Has he accomplished anything of note, or has he made things worse?

Special teams have consistently been a weakness for the Packers, and Bisaccia's handling of the kicker position in the post-Mason Crosby era has been subpar.

The Packers need to devote real attention to special teams as they move forward with LaFleur. It has to be a priority.

Whether he hires an offensive coordinator to actually call plays for him or figures out ways to delegate, LaFleur must be more involved with the whole scope of the game moving forward.

Too many times this past season, we saw LaFleur's head buried in his playsheet or, even worse, in his tablet, while his defense was fighting for its life out on the field.

He's a great offensive mind, but can he juggle the responsibilities of running the offense, figuring out adjustments, and managing the ebbs and flows of a game? This past season, the answer to that question was a resounding "no".

Changes have to be made to LaFleur's responsibilities as well as to the responibilities to the staff that follows him into 2026 to make sure that he can do all of his jobs as a head coach.

A dedicated offensive coordinator who calls plays would be ideal, but that would also include him sucking up his pride a bit.

We'll have to wait and see if that happens.