PHOENIX — As grateful as he is to be back for an eighth season as the Green Bay Packers coach and with a contract extension to boot, Matt LaFleur said he’s aware of the issues that have prevented his team from making a Super Bowl run despite three straight playoff appearances and six in his seven seasons.

Speaking Monday for the first time since signing his extension in January after the Packers’ wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears — one of several games last season in which they blew late leads — LaFleur did not duck the low grade he received in the NFLPA’s annual player survey but explained why he thinks he might have been one of only six coaches to receive lower than a B.

LaFleur received a B-minus after getting an A-minus the previous year. According to the survey, which was not supposed to be made public this year but was obtained by ESPN and other media outlets, some players dinged LaFleur when it came to “respect for players.”

“I don’t feel that way, but unfortunately some guys did,” LaFleur said at the NFL annual meetings. “That tells me I’ve got to do a better job of communicating. It goes back to the relationship piece. I think it’s so critical. We always talk about connected teams are powerful teams, and we have to grow that connection.

“Certainly that’s been a topic of conversation within our building of — how do we get these guys a little closer? Because the more they know each other, I think the more they’re going to battle for one another.”

After a 9-3-1 start in 2025, the Packers lost their last five games, finishing as the No. 7 seed in the NFC for the third straight season. They have won only one playoff game in that stretch, have not won the NFC North since 2021 and have not played in the NFC Championship Game since consecutive appearances in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, LaFleur’s first two in Green Bay.

Earlier this offseason, general manager Brian Gutekunst, who also received a contract extension from team president Ed Policy, said the Packers must find a way to finish games next season.

“Yeah, that’s been on the forefront of mind,” LaFleur said. “I think it definitely starts with the mentality but it’s got to be in everything we do from as soon as we get on the grass, and whether it’s individual, there’s got to be a start and finish to every drill, and I think it’s got to be constantly on our mind because that is the one thing that we did not do last year. We lost way too many games late in the game where we had leads or just had opportunities to close people out, and we didn’t get it done.”

There were myriad factors — including Micah Parsons‘ season-ending knee injury in Week 15 — that contributed to Green Bay’s demise, but LaFleur said “the buy-in [from players] is going to be absolutely critical.”

“If I’m being honest about it, I think there were some guys that were upset about roles last year, and I think that took a toll on our football team,” LaFleur said.

“I think from a coaching standpoint, role clarity is key. So we’ve got to obviously do a better job communicating with our players, ‘Hey here’s your role and if you’re unhappy about your role, it’s on you to do something about that, to carve out a role on this football team.’ But yeah, the buy-in is absolutely critical. Getting guys in there that are juiced and ready to go to work each and every day is going to be critical for us.”

LaFleur would not say whether some of those players are no longer on the team but when asked whether that might have contributed to his low mark, he said: “I’m sure that had something to do with it.”

The survey was conducted late in the season, and it’s possible the Packers’ losing streak contributed to the low marks for LaFleur.

“Certainly you don’t want to just dismiss that stuff,” LaFleur added. “You’ve got to look into it.”

As for his contract extension, terms of which remain unknown, LaFleur said he was “ecstatic” to be back with the Packers.

“I was confident in what we’ve been able to do,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, are we satisfied? Hell no. Not even close. We always want more. Until you’re hoisting that Lombardi [Trophy], you’re not going to be satisfied and even then you’re going to want to do it again. I’m certainly grateful of the opportunity. I love this organization, the city, the people, the community but I love our players, too. Going to work with Jordan Love every day is a pretty cool deal. I think he’s an unbelievable quarterback but an even better guy.”

A year after dealing with Micah Parsons‘ contentious holdout, the Dallas Cowboys face another potentially tumultuous offseason with another one of their star players. 

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer was recently asked about George Pickens‘ potential participation during the team’s upcoming offseason workouts. Pickens, who was named to his first Pro Bowl during his first season in Dallas, was given a nonexclusive tag by the team earlier this offseason.

Schottenheimer, speaking from the NFL meetings in Phoenix, said that he did not know if Pickens was planning to attend the voluntary workouts. 

“And I haven’t pushed that on him,” Schottenheimer said, via ESPN. “I mean, again, we’re all going through the process. It’s almost April. We’re still a couple weeks away. It’s going to play out the way it plays out. Again, it’s all voluntary. We’ll see where it goes.”  

Pickens, 25, was traded to Dallas from Pittsburgh last offseason. In 17 games last season, Pickens set single-season highs in catches, yards and touchdowns while matching his career best in yards per reception. 

Similar to his years in Pittsburgh, Pickens’ success in Dallas hasn’t come without some turbulence. He and fellow wideout CeeDee Lamb were benched for the start of the Cowboys’ eventual win over the Raiders after missing curfew. Later in the season, Pickens’ again made headlines for the wrong reasons after he failed to give a full effort on several plays during a late-season loss to the Lions. 

In Pittsburgh, Pickens also drew criticism after he failed to make a full effort during plays. He was also fined numerous times for unsportsmanlike conduct during his years with the Steelers, who selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Pickens (who has the same agent as Parsons, who ended up being traded to Green Bay after talks with Dallas fell through) and the Cowboys have not engaged in contract talks since the team placed the $28.8 million tag on him. Because he was given the nonexclusive tag, Pickens could be acquired as a free agent by another team if it was willing to give up two first-round picks or another deal that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would have to sign off on. 

At this point, Schottenheimer doesn’t appear to be too worried about Pickens’ status for voluntary workouts. He also doesn’t appear to be looking too far down the road in terms of Pickens’ future with the team beyond this season.

“Hey look, GP loves it here. We love GP,” Schottenheimer said. “We have plans for GP to be here for a long time, so we’ll let the business side of this thing play out and see where it goes.”  

Barring the unexpected, it appears that Pickens will continue to wear the Cowboys’ star in 2026. Whether or not he participates in voluntary workouts, however, is anyone’s guess.