The Green Bay Packers had serious conversations after their season ended with five consecutive losses, including two games against their NFC North rival, the Chicago Bears.
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Packers president Ed Policy extended the contracts of head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Much of the coaching staff will look different in 2026. Green Bay hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon as its defensive coordinator after Jeff Hafley took the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins.
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Assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia stepped down, and the Packers replaced him with Cameron Achord.
Early in the offseason, there were rumors the Packers could move on from running back Josh Jacobs to save nearly $11 million in cap space. Jacobs, 28, saw his numbers decline from 2024 when he ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The 2019 first-round pick by the Oakland Raiders rushed for just 929 yards and 13 touchdowns for Green Bay in 2025.
Per Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom, the Packers “never considered” trading or releasing Jacobs. Green Bay wants to build around the All-Pro running back this offseason.
After the season, the Packers had an “internal review” of why the team went on a five-game losing streak. Green Bay thinks Jacobs should have touched the ball more later in the season.
“In their internal review of why the team fell apart late in the season, significant attention was paid to occurrences where Jacobs did not get the ball enough in critical junctures, team sources said,” La Canfora wrote.
“It’s unlikely LaFleur, the offensive play caller, allows that to happen again in 2026, with the team prizing better game-day coordination between the offensive coaches to ensure there isn’t too much rotation.”
The Packers had to be cautious with Jacobs, who played through a Grade 2 calf strain, a deep knee bruise and a kneecap bruise. Because of those issues, Green Bay kept Jacobs on a “pitch count” in the second half of the season.
Jacobs should be more of a threat in the upcoming season as he regains his health.
For more on the Packers and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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