'This is a little surreal:' Green Bay Packers introduce new head coach, Matt LaFleur



GREEN BAY -- The Green Bay Packers introduced Matt LaFleur as the team's new head coach on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 9.

"This is a little surreal for me right now," LaFleur first told reporters. I cannot tell you how honored I am... To be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, it is surreal -- and I am humbled."

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur



LaFleur told reporters he is excited to work with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the team.

"My philosophy is to lead, teach and inspire." LaFleur said. "We are going to be process driven -- and going to be process driven in the pursuit of bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay."



LaFleur introduced his family during the news conference -- including his wife and sons. As he did so, he got a bit emotional.

"I'm all about family," LaFleur said.

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 09: Matt LaFleur speaks during a press conference to be introduced as head coach of the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 09, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)



Below are details about LaFleur’s career as noted by Packers.com:

LaFleur, 39, will be entering his 11th year coaching in the NFL and his 18th overall in coaching. He brings a wealth of offensive experience, having worked and developed under Mike Shanahan, Gary Kubiak, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. LaFleur served as an offensive coordinator for both of the past two seasons (Tennessee Titans, 2018; Los Angeles Rams, 2017) and a quarterbacks coach for the previous seven years (Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16; Notre Dame, 2014; Washington Redskins, 2010-13).

In 2018 with the Titans, LaFleur led an offense that finished No. 7 in the NFL in rushing (126.4 yards per game) and helped QB Marcus Mariota set the franchise single-season record for completion percentage (68.9 percent). In 2017, LaFleur was part of a Rams team that improved its win total by seven games (from 4-12 in 2016 to 11-5 in 2017). The 2017 Rams were the first team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to go from last to first in the NFL in scoring in one season, more than doubling their scoring average from 14.0 points per game in 2016 to 29.9 points per game in 2017. Rams QB Jared Goff improved his quarterback rating from 63.6 in 2016 to 100.5 in 2017 to rank No. 5 in the NFL. LaFleur was part of an offensive staff that saw RB Todd Gurley named The Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year after leading the NFL with 2,093 scrimmage yards.

In two years as the quarterbacks coach for the Falcons, LaFleur worked with Matt Ryan, who ranked in the top 10 in the NFL over that span (min. 500 pass att.) in passer rating (No. 2 – 102.1), passing yards (No. 2 – 9,535), completion percentage (No. 4 – 67.9), completions (No. 5 – 780) and passing touchdowns (No. 8 – 59). In 2016, Ryan led the Falcons to an appearance in the Super Bowl while being named AP NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year after recording the fifth-highest single-season passer rating (117.1) in league history and the highest passing-yardage total (4,944) in team history.

In a one-year stop at Notre Dame in 2014, LaFleur guided QB Everett Golson to 3,445 yards passing and 29 touchdowns. Prior to his stint in South Bend, LaFleur coached for the Redskins from 2010-13, where he helped Robert Griffin III become the first Redskins rookie QB selected to the Pro Bowl as Washington won its first NFC East title (2012) in 13 years. LaFleur’s first NFL coaching experience came as an offensive assistant for the Houston Texans in 2008-09, where he worked with the quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Before coaching in the NFL, the Mount Pleasant, Mich., native coached in the college ranks for six seasons. LaFleur began his coaching career in 2003 as an offensive assistant at Saginaw Valley State, the school he played quarterback for and guided to three straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances. He went on to be a graduate assistant at Central Michigan in 2004-05, quarterbacks/wide receivers coach at Northern Michigan in 2006 and offensive coordinator at Ashland University in 2007-08.

LaFleur and his wife, BreAnne, have two sons, Luke and Ty.


GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 09: (L-R) head coach Matt LaFleur and President and CEO Mark Murphy of the Green Bay Packers introduce Matt LaFleur as head coach at Lambeau Field on January 09, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Gett