JUST NOW: A new contract has been extended for the Green Bay coach…

Green Bay, Wisconsin This summer, the Green Bay Packers secretly agreed contract extensions with executive vice

president/director of football operations Russ Ball, coach Matt LaFleur, and general manager Brian Gutekunst, a

league source told ESPN on Monday.

The extensions’ terms were not immediately apparent.

While he declined to announce the extensions earlier on Monday, Packers president Mark Murphy stated, “I’ll just

say I’m confident not only Matt and Brian but Russ Ball will continue to be Packers’ employees for years to come.”

LaFleur was employed in 2019 and Gutekunst was elevated to general manager in 2018.

As the 2022 season drew around, both were getting close to the end of their original contracts. Originally, Gutekunst

agreed to a five-year deal, which was scheduled to end after this season. Initially, LaFleur agreed to a four-year deal

with a five-year option. Ball has been with the Packers since 2008, but he was also getting close to the conclusion of

his contract when he was promoted to his present position in 2018—which includes controlling the wage cap.

Murphy gave a speech on Monday at the Packers’ shareholder meeting at Lambeau Field, complimenting the efforts

of all three.

The Packers have previously refrained from announcing the extension of a contract for a crucial player in their

football program. Before the 2017 season finished, they handed then-coach Mike McCarthy a one-year extension,

although they never confirmed it (McCarthy was fired following the 2018 season).

According to the source, the contracts for Ball, LaFleur, and Gutekunst were finalized earlier in the offseason, well in

advance of the Packers’ return for training camp this week.

“I’d prefer to keep [contract extensions] internal, but obviously you can see from my comments [to the shareholders]

that I feel like they’re doing an outstanding job,” Murphy stated.

Since Ted Thompson was removed by Gutekunst, the Packers are 45-19-1. Under LaFleur, that record was 39-10. The

record for the most victories by an NFL head coach in his first three seasons was surpassed by George Seifert, who

finished 38-10 between 1989 and 1991. Under the Gutekunst-LaFleur era, the Packers have not appeared in the

Super Bowl, although they have advanced to the NFC Championship Game twice and lost in the divisional round

once. Murphy brought on both LaFleur and Gutekunst. Although Gutekunst and Ball were involved in the hiring

process, LaFleur reports directly to him.

Last offseason, when Gutekunst was at the core of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ discontent with the team, Murphy

openly backed the general manager. Since then, Rodgers and Gutekunst’s working relationship has improved to the

point that Rodgers frequently gave unprompted compliments to Gutekunst during the previous season and this

offseason.

The trade up to choose quarterback Jordan Love at No. 26 overall in 2020 was one of Gutekunst’s most significant

decisions. Although Love is starting his third season as Aaron Rodgers’ backup, it is still unknown if Love will ever

replace Rodgers, who in March agreed to a three-year, $150 million contract extension.