New Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Is Exactly What NFL Teams Are Looking For

Matt LaFleur has reportedly been hired as the new head of the Green Bay Packers, and given his resume and the way the NFL is trending, it’s not surprising he’s gotten a head coaching gig.

LaFleur is 39 years old, and has been a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at several stops in the NFL. That’s exactly what franchises are looking for: young, smart quarterback gurus to connect with their signal-callers.

LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach in Washington from 2010-13, spent the 2014 season in the same position at Notre Dame, and was with the Atlanta Falcons as QB coach from 2015-16. With the Falcons he helped guide Matt Ryan to an MVP season in 2015 and Super Bowl LI the next year.

That led to LaFleur joining the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay. McVay and LaFleur had worked together in Washington, so the young Rams head coach trusted him to be the offensive coordinator. During that 2017 season, the Rams turned things around quickly and quarterback Jared Goff elevated his play tremendously.

The Tennessee Titans hired LaFleur as their offensive coordinator on January 30, 2018. The Titans finished 25th in offensive yards per game (312.4) this season and 27th in points per game (19.4). It was not a good offensive year in Tennessee.

Is LaFleur going to be successful as a head coach? Time will tell. But the trend in the NFL clearly points towards teams hiring young quarterback whisperers with a history of offensive innovation. Everyone wants the next McVay or Matt Nagy. If they can’t go young, franchises will still go after quarterback coaches/offensive coordinators. They’ve seen Doug Pederson and Frank Reich have success as well.

LaFleur isn’t a big name, but he fits exactly what the league is looking for in its head coaches.