Matthew LaFleur (born November 3, 1979) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He has spent time as quarterbacks coach of the Washington Redskins and the Atlanta Falcons and as offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans.
Playing career
Born and raised in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, LaFleur attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and played wide receiver in 1998 and 1999. He transferred to Saginaw Valley State in Division II, and he played quarterback from 2000 to 2002, guiding the Cardinals to the D-II playoffs each season.
LaFleur briefly played in the National Indoor Football League with the Omaha Beef as the backup quarterback, and the following summer, signed with the Billings Outlaws in Montana.
Coaching career
Early years
LaFleur’s coaching career began in 2003 at his alma mater, Saginaw Valley State, as an offensive graduate assistant, during which time he also substitute taught in the local high schools, specializing in math. LaFleur proceeded to Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant and assisted the offensive staff in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, he coached quarterbacks and receivers at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. LaFleur was the offensive coordinator at Ashland University in Ohio in 2007.
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. 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 with 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 large lead and lost 34–28 in overtime.
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
In their second year under coach LaFleur, the Packers started the season by winning all four games prior to an early Week 5 bye. After a 5–1 start, LaFleur lost his first ever divisional game, with a 22–28 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Despite this, the Packers continued rolling, 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 number one seed and home-field 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 dismantled the Rams, 32–18, to host the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2007 season, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31–26.
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| GB | 2019 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in NFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Championship Game |
| GB | 2020 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in NFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Tampa Bay Buccaneers in NFC Championship Game |
| Total | 26 | 6 | 0 | .813 | 2 | 2 | .500 | |||
Personal life
LaFleur is married to BreAnne, whom he met in college, and they have two sons, Luke and Ty. His younger brother, Mike, is the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets.