Matt LaFleur

Matthew Robert LaFleur ( la-FLEW-er; born November 3, 1979) is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and the Tennessee Titans, and has also served as the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins, Notre Dame, and the Atlanta Falcons. Prior to his coaching career, LaFleur was a successful multi-year starting quarterback for Saginaw Valley State University after spending two years as a walk-on wide receiver for Western Michigan University. He also spent two seasons playing professional football in the Indoor Football League before committing full time to coaching.

Early life and playing career

Matthew Robert LaFleur was born on November 3, 1979 to Denny and Kristi LaFleur. Denny had been a linebacker at Central Michigan University, winning a national championship in 1974 and at one point holding their record for the most career tackles, before becoming a long-time assistant football coach at the school. Kristi was a physical education and health teacher who coached track and cheerleading. Kristi's father coached football at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

LaFleur was raised in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and played football and basketball at Mount Pleasant High School. He started at quarterback in his junior and senior years, and played well enough to earn all-state honors, He graduated in 1998.

Despite his family's strong ties to Central Michigan University, LaFleur chose to enroll at their rival Western Michigan University after Central Michigan head coach Dick Flynn fired his father in 1997. LaFleur joined Western's football team as a walk-on player but saw no playing time. After two years, he was asked by Western's coaches to switch positions from quarterback to wide receiver. They argued that with Tim Lester's success, LaFleur had no viable path to getting on the field. LaFleur instead decided to transfer out of the program.

LaFleur transferred to Division II Saginaw Valley State University. He became their starting quarterback after Garrett Small suffered a career-ending injury in the first game of the season. LaFleur's play helped the Cardinals reach the D-II playoffs in each of his three years at the school. During his three-year run as the Cardinal quarterback, SVSU compiled a record of 29–8 overall and qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs each year. LaFleur left Saginaw Valley State as their all-time leader in passing yards (7,699), completions, and passing touchdowns (67). LaFleur was inducted into the SVSU Cardinal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 2003.

LaFleur briefly played professionally in the National Indoor Football League with the Omaha Beef as the backup quarterback in 2003 and, the following summer, signed with the Billings Outlaws.

Coaching career

Early years

LaFleur's coaching career began in 2003 at Saginaw Valley State as an offensive graduate assistant. He also substitute taught in the local high schools (Garber High School), specializing in math. After retiring from playing football, he was hired by Central Michigan University as a graduate assistant for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. In 2006, he was hired as the quarterbacks coach for Northern Michigan University. After one year at Northern, LaFleur spent the 2007 football season as the offensive coordinator for Ohio's Ashland University.

Houston Texans

LaFleur then was hired in 2008 by the Houston Texans to serve as an offensive assistant. He assisted both wide receivers and quarterbacks during his two-year stint there and developed a close relationship with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Washington Redskins

When Shanahan's father Mike was hired by the Washington Redskins, Kyle brought LaFleur to Washington to coach the quarterbacks in 2010. From 2011 to 2013, LaFleur worked alongside 4 other future head coaches in Washington; Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Mike McDaniel, and Raheem Morris. A primary responsibility of LaFleur's for the 2012 season was to mentor rookie quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins.

Notre Dame

After six years of coaching in the NFL, LaFleur returned to college football as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Notre Dame in 2014. LaFleur tutored senior quarterback Everett Golson who posted 3,445 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air, helping him become just the fourth quarterback in school history to eclipse such totals in a single season.

Atlanta Falcons

On February 5, 2015, LaFleur returned to the NFL as the quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons working under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, with whom he had previously worked while with the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans. LaFleur's younger brother, Mike, was also an offensive assistant with the Falcons.

In 2016, LaFleur coached Matt Ryan on his way to winning his sole NFL MVP award. The Falcons reached Super Bowl LI, where they faced the New England Patriots, but squandered a 28–3 lead and lost 34–28 in overtime, a monumental meltdown that drew heavy fan and media criticism.

Los Angeles Rams

On February 8, 2017, LaFleur joined the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff as offensive coordinator, working under head coach Sean McVay, with whom he had previously worked during his tenure with the Washington Redskins. Under LaFleur and McVay, the Rams finished the year with an 11–5 record and as the league's number one scoring offense, scoring 478 points through 16 games.

Tennessee Titans

On January 30, 2018, LaFleur left his position with the Rams to take the same position with the Tennessee Titans. Joining new head coach Mike Vrabel, LaFleur's role in directing the offense increased, as he had play-calling responsibilities unlike during his tenure with the Rams. The season was plagued with injuries, with the Titans losing star tight end Delanie Walker in Week 1, and Mariota dealing with an incessant nerve injury throughout the season. LaFleur and the Titans finished the season with the 27th ranked scoring offense in the NFL.

Green Bay Packers

LaFleur was hired as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers on January 8, 2019. On May 30, 2019, LaFleur suffered a torn Achilles while playing basketball. LaFleur also led the Packers to a 2–2 preseason.

2019 season

On September 5, 2019, LaFleur made his regular-season head coaching debut against the Chicago Bears, and led the Packers to a 10–3 victory. He also became the first Green Bay coach to win his first game against the Bears since Vince Lombardi in 1959. The Packers finished with a 13–3 record in LaFleur's first season as a head coach, and in the process, LaFleur became the first Packers rookie head coach to win 10 games, make the playoffs, and win the NFC North (as well as going 6–0 in division play in the process). In addition, the 13 wins were the most from a rookie coach since Jim Harbaugh did it with the 49ers in 2011.

LaFleur led Green Bay to their first postseason berth since the 2016 season as the NFC's number two seed, as he won his postseason debut against the Seattle Seahawks 28–23 in the divisional round of the playoffs to advance to the NFC Championship Game, where the Packers fell to the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers 37–20.

2020 season

The Packers began the 2020 season by winning all four games prior to an early Week 5 bye. After a 5–1 start to the season, the Packers dropped a home game 22–28 to the Minnesota Vikings, the team's first loss in the division under LaFleur. Despite this, the Packers continued playing well, and LaFleur clinched his second consecutive NFC North title and playoff berth in Week 14 with a 31–24 victory against the Detroit Lions. With a 35–16 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 17, Green Bay clinched the NFC's 1st seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 season. The Packers also closed the season out on a six-game winning streak, and LaFleur extended his win–loss record in December games to 9–0.

LaFleur finished with a 26–6 record in his first two seasons as coach, tied for the second-best start for a coach since the 1970 merger (only George Seifert, at 28–4, has a better record). His team finished as the league's number one offense, scoring 509 points over the course of the season, and with quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing for a Packers franchise-record 48 touchdowns.

In the playoffs, LaFleur and the Packers hosted the Los Angeles Rams, who had the league's number one scoring defense and were led by one of LaFleur's former bosses, Rams coach Sean McVay. The Packers defeated the Rams, 32–18, to host the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2007, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31–26. LaFleur was criticized for his decision to kick a field goal down 31–23 instead of trying to tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion under league MVP Aaron Rodgers.