Former Packers Quarterback Addresses Rumored Tensions with Head Coach Matt LaFleur

The Packers' head coach, Matt LaFleur, nearly got punched in the face by a former player during roster cutting.

Former Packers Quarterback Addresses Rumored Tensions with Head Coach Matt LaFleur

Matt LaFleur (Image via IMAGO)

The NFL can be best described as the survival of the best. It is a business, after all, and every team wants to win the Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers are among the few blue-chip organizations. Their head coach, Matt LaFleur, always prepares his team, keeping the biggest prize in mind.

However, LaFleur once nearly paid the price for selecting the best possible roster. The NFL allows teams to announce a 53-man roster for the regular season, which means LaFleur could only choose the best players.

This is where the head coaches make their money. It’s hard to find the best player, but it’s harder to cut players because every player wants to fight for his place on the team.

LaFluer, in an episode of ‘Bussin With The Boys,’ recalled a time when a player tried to fight him after finding out that he was no longer required.

I had a player a couple of years back. It was just him and me—I mean, we’re in this cinderblock room, and I think he’s going to whip my a** and there’s nobody around [and] I was just like, ‘oh, well, here it goes, guys; this is the end.’ And you just try to de-escalate the situation, but sometimes there’s no getting through.

Matt LaFleur revealed

LaFleur kept the name of the player a secret. One fan shared LaFluer’s story on X and received a reply. It was from former Green Bay Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert. “It wasn’t me, I swear,” Benkert joked.

The Atlanta Falcons introduced Benkert, an undrafted free agent, to the NFL in 2018. He moved to Green Bay in 2021 and was out of the league after one year with the San Francisco 49ers. Benkert only made one appearance in the NFL. The former East Carolina and Virginia Cavaliers starter is currently a popular name on X/Twitter, where he shares his thoughts on the present state of football.

Matt LaFleur addressed how the Packers are taking care of their wide receiver problems

Throughout their long history, the Packers have had a big Hall of Fame-level receivers on their roster. From James Lofton to Sterling Sharpe and possibly Davante Adams in the future, the Packers mostly get it right with their wideouts.

Former Packers Quarterback Addresses Rumored Tensions with Head Coach Matt LaFleur
Matt LaFleur (Image via IMAGO)

However, 2024 wasn’t a good year for their receivers. They combined to drop the third-most passes in the league. Only Jayden Reed crossed 800 yards, and their next best was tight end Tucker Kraft with 707 yards.

Both Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks recorded below 650 yards. Christian Watson was a rare bright spot who went 600+ yards from only 29 receptions, averaging a career high 21.4 yards per catch.

The Packers entered the 2025 NFL draft and selected Texas’s Matthew Golden (23rd overall) and TCU’s Savion Williams in the third round. Right after the draft, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst reportedly met with Jayden Reed’s agent.

This move from Gutekunst caught everyone off guard, including LaFleur, because Reed and Doubs are the two best receivers on the team. However, LaFleur understands the business side of the game, and they can only keep 53 players on the final roster for the regular season.

I think [Brian Gutekunst] and his staff do such a great job of vetting these guys and bringing in high-character people, because at the end of the day these guys have a choice to buy into the team or to buy into individual success, and we’ve been really fortunate to get a lot of guys into our building that are all about the team, and I hope that continues.

Matt LaFleur said (H/T: Yahoo)

Reed ranked first in passer rating when targeted (137.5) but dropped the second-most passes (10) in 2024. It’s entirely possible that with the surplus of receivers on the team, the Packers made Reed available for trade. There will be no shortage of teams for the former second-rounder.

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