Matt Ryan was hired as the Atlanta Falcons' president of football on Saturday, setting up the next two steps of the offseason: hiring a general manager and head coach.
There has already been plenty of shakeups in the coaching realm, namely John Harbaugh's dismissal, and there could be plenty to come. Unfortunately, one name that Ryan would likely pursue won't be available, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
The #Packers and coach Matt LaFleur will meet shortly after the season ends to discuss extending his contract, with both sides hoping for a great outcome.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2026
My story: https://t.co/PnxEPFzvtJhttps://t.co/PnxEPFzvtJ
While was always unlikely that Matt LaFleur would be fired, there was still a slim chance that he could have forced the Packers' hand. And somehow, he may have done just that after they blew an 18-point halftime quarter lead to the rival Bears for another early playoff exit.
Despite pathetic playoff meltdown, Matt LaFleur won't be reuniting with Matt Ryan in Atlanta anytime soon
In no way does it make sense for the Packers to fire LaFleur, who has a 76-40-1 record through seven season, only missing the playoffs once.
That said, the Packers have a different expectation for their franchise; there is a standard of winning Super Bowls. LaFleur is 3-6 in the playoffs, only making it as far as the NFC Championship.
Nevertheless, firing a head coach of that caliber is the riskiest thing you could do because there is no guarantee that the new head coach will find the same success. LaFleur's proven track record is what would've attracted the Falcons. It is the same thing that has them interested in Harbaugh.
There is also a deep familiarity with the Falcons and the head coach. He was a Ryan's quarterback from 2015 to 2016 under Dan Quinn and Kyle Shanahan, which included their run to Super Bowl LI.
The Falcons inexplicably passed on him for Steve Sarkisian to replace Shanahan as the offensive coordinator. The Rams hired him to be their OC under Sean McVay.
This would've been the perfect opportunity to right that wrong, but it won't happen unless something drastic happens in the next few weeks.
Looking at other head coach candidates with links to Ryan, the first two names that come to mind are recently fired Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and Rams offensive coordinator and the brother of this article's subject, Mike LaFleur.
A dream scenario for many Falcons fans is hiring Mike with McDaniel as the offensive coordinator and Ulbrich as the defensive coordinator.
It would be ironic considering all three of them were on the 2015 and 2016 staff—LaFleur and McDaniel as offensive assistants and Ulbrich as the linebackers coach.
And, on top of that, the new president of football was the starting quarterback. Everything would come full circle, and hopefully so would team success. A change wasn't happening before, but now that they imploded on the road against their biggest rivals there's at least a chance of a reunion now.