Packers announce extensions for
coach Matt LaFleur, GM Brian Gutekunst and executive VP Russ Ball
[January 31, 2026]
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers general manager
Brian Gutekunst and executive vice president/director of football
operations Russ Ball have joined coach Matt LaFleur in signing
multi-year contract extensions.
Packers president/CEO Ed Policy announced the extensions for all
three on Friday.
The extensions come after the Packers went 9-8-1 and made their
third straight playoff appearance, and sixth in the last seven
years. A 31-27 loss at Chicago in the NFC wild-card playoff round
capped a five-game skid that ended Green Bay's season, though one of
those defeats came when the Packers rested their starters in their
regular-season finale.
“We are excited to extend our commitment to Brian, Matt and Russ as
the leaders of our football operations,” Policy said in a statement.
“Their steadfast dedication, passion and collaboration have remained
constant in our drive to compete at the highest level. While we are
all disappointed with the way this season ended, we remain aligned
in purpose and have spent considerable time over the past weeks
collaborating on a path forward.
“I am exceedingly confident we have the right people to achieve our
goal. The entire Packers organization looks forward to supporting
every effort to bring our community and fans another championship
that they very much deserve.”
LaFleur owns a 76-40-1 regular-season record and has led Green Bay
to the playoffs in all but one of his seven years on the job. That
includes NFC championship game appearances in the 2019 and 2020
seasons. Green Bay has been the NFC’s seventh and final playoff seed
each of the last three seasons.
Gutekunst has been part of Green Bay’s front office for 27 seasons.
Ball is entering his 38th season in the NFL and 19th in Green Bay.
Both were named to their current positions in January 2018, one year
before LaFleur’s arrival.
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Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stands next to Packers
general manager Brian Gutekunst, right, before an NFL football game
between the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Commanders in Green
Bay, Wis., Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
Gutekunst made the bold move to trade up in the
first round of the 2020 draft to select Utah State quarterback
Jordan Love when the Packers already had Aaron Rodgers on their
roster. After Rodgers went on to win his third and fourth MVP awards
in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Gutekunst traded him to the New York
Jets in April 2023 as the Packers made Love their starting
quarterback.
The Packers have reached the playoffs in each of Love’s three
seasons as a starter, though they haven’t advanced beyond the
divisional round. Green Bay’s 2023 and 2024 squads were the youngest
teams in terms of weighted age to reach the playoffs from 1980-2024,
according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Gutekunst also executed the 2025 trade that brought All-Pro pass
rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay. The Packers sent veteran
defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas and also gave up their 2026
and 2027 first-round draft picks to acquire Parsons, who tore his
anterior cruciate ligament on Dec. 14 and missed the rest of the
2025 season.
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