In Falcons’ coaching search, Packers’ Matt LaFleur makes a lot of sense

There’s a coach who makes a lot of sense for the Falcons.

As the Green Bay Packers coach for the past seven seasons, Matt LaFleur has put together a record that would make Falcons fans’ heads spin.

He has achieved a .654 winning percentage, six playoff trips in seven years and three division titles.

Green Bay fans are getting frustrated because LaFleur is 3-5 in the playoffs. At this point, Falcons fans might push their grandmothers out of the way to experience such heartache.

Further, the former Falcons quarterbacks coach (2015-16) has a history of helping quarterbacks play their best.

LaFleur was quarterbacks coach for Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins during his first two seasons in the NFL, with Washington from 2012-13.

“I think the world of him as a person and as a coach,” Cousins said in 2019 when the two were about to face off in a Vikings-Packers game. “I owe a great deal to him when it comes to any production I’ve had in this league.”

While coaching credit for Matt Ryan’s 2016 MVP season often goes to then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, LaFleur was his position coach. On a visit on the “Thomahawk Show” podcast in 2019, shortly after LaFleur’s hire in Green Bay, Ryan said that LaFleur was “built for long-term success” as a head coach, an assessment that has proved true.

“From my experience with Matt, he was great to work with,” Ryan said. “He was really good at striking the balance between being supportive and having your back, but also coaching you hard and knowing how to get the best out of you.”

He has served under some of the game’s sharpest offensive minds, including Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, cultivation that has borne fruit.

With LaFleur, the Packers have finished in the top 10 in the NFL in points-per-drive six times in seven seasons and in yards-per-play five times.

Why else does LaFleur make sense?

It would stand to reason that, after the regime of Raheem Morris, during which his weaknesses as a head coach were laid bare over two seasons, the Falcons would want a more known commodity.

With 117 regular-season games and eight playoff games in the saddle, LaFleur would be that.

Also, the Falcons would have reason to go with an offensive-minded coach who can best use the talents of quarterback Michael Penix Jr., running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London, which LaFleur is. Having LaFleur as head coach and offensive play-caller would mean the team’s primary offensive mind wouldn’t be at risk of getting hired away.

LaFleur also makes sense for nonfootball reasons. He was on the Falcons coaching staff during Dan Quinn’s tenure, meaning he is familiar to owner Arthur Blank.

And, as noted above, Ryan evidently thinks well of him. That matters because Ryan is thought to be the likely appointee as Blank’s new president of football and would have the authority to make the coaching (and general manager) hire, or at the least someone who will have a place in the team hierarchy.

The dots all connect. It all makes sense.

On the other hand, the “the team and speculated candidate have a connection” sometimes feels overplayed. Yes, Ryan and LaFleur apparently have a positive relationship, and it would put to rest questions about what kind of partnership they could form.

But you’d like to think Ryan — or whoever makes the hire — is capable of doing enough research to hire a candidate he doesn’t know.

And, more germane, there’s the issue that LaFleur is under contract with the Packers and will be coaching Green Bay in a playoff game Saturday.

On the one hand, speculation abounds that LaFleur could be coaching for his job. The Packers were considered Super Bowl contenders before the season and then especially so when they traded for All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons.

But they finished the regular season on a four-game losing streak for a 9-7-1 record and are the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs.

LaFleur has one year remaining on his contract. It’s conceivable he could be fired, particularly if the Bears end the Packers’ season Saturday night. But it’s also possible his contract could be extended, especially if Green Bay goes on an unexpected postseason run.

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said Monday that he believed the Packers want to try to extend LaFleur’s contract. It is a negotiation that could still end up, with LaFleur becoming available if the sides can’t come to an agreement. Packers team president Ed Policy told reporters in July that he was “generally opposed” to having a coach go into his last year of a contract.

It could mean the likelihood of LaFleur getting outright fired is lower than speculation suggests.

Another possibility is that, in the midst of this potential negotiation, the Falcons could trade for him. Coach trades have happened before, most recently in 2023 between Denver and New Orleans for Sean Payton. The Broncos gave up first- and second-round picks for Payton and a Saints third-rounder.