Now that Raheem Morris is gone and the Atlanta Falcons officially brought in Matt Ryan to be the president of football, the coaching search is in full swing. They spent the weekend conducting interviews, but their dream candidate nearly became available after a heartbreaking playoff outcome.
The Falcons' coaching search was already flipped on its head by the firing of John Harbaugh, and it nearly happened again this weekend. After the Green Bay Packers blew an 18-point halftime lead to the Chicago Bears on Saturday night, there was talk of Matt LaFleur being fired, but all of that speculation turned out to be for naught.
Packers now are expected to try to work out a deal in the coming days to keep head coach Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, per sources. pic.twitter.com/PxugiVoCDQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2026
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday morning that despite the external noise, LaFleur and the Packers are expected to try and work out a deal to keep him in Green Bay, since his contract expires after the season and they (rightfully) want no part of what's been a chaotic head coaching carousel.
He was always expected to be retained, so this is a pretty bitersweet feeling.
Matt LaFleur is nearing a new deal with the Packers, ending all hopes of him coming to the Falcons
LaFleur being retained means that the Falcons have a better shot at landing Harbaugh, but that's still far from guaranteed. They seem to be near the top of his list, but the reports that he desires a stable QB situation could be what steers him away from Atlanta abd into the arms of the New York Giants.
The 46-year-old took the Packers to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons at the helm, so for as detrimental as this update is to the Falcons, it's the correct move. He also took them to the NFC Championship twice, he just has yet to get them over the hump in an super competitive conference.
However, the LaFleur to Atlanta speculation was more than just talk, as he has ties to the organization. He was the Dirty Birds' quarterback coach for two seasons under Dan Quinn, and coached Ryan during his 2016 season that saw him won MVP and lead this team to the Super Bowl.
Now that Ryan can't bring one of his guys back to Atlanta, there's another ex-Falcons' assistant he could look into. Mike McDaniel doesn't have nearly as good of a track record, but of all of the experienced head coches available, he is by far the best suited to help develop Michael Penix Jr.
The entire goal of the Falcons' head coaching search should be to find the right head coach to work with Penix, and LaFleur would have been perfect for the job. Instead, they'll have to pivot to some other offensive minds available this cycle, McDaniel and Kevin Stefanski included.