ClutchPoints
Matt LaFleur, it appears as if you’re on the clock, sir. No, the Green Bay Packers aren’t going to fire LaFleur if he doesn’t win a Super Bowl next season. General Manager Brian Gutekunst has put some pressure on him, without a doubt, but LaFleur isn’t going anywhere just yet.
It’s more than notable, though, that the newest head coach in the NFC North and LaFleur’s biggest rival is already taking shots at him, though. New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson met with the media on Wednesday to discuss his new role as well as his hopes and aspirations for the Bears.
Johnson has been the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions for the past three seasons, so he’s gotten to know LaFleur and the Packers very well. Johnson’s Lions were 6-1 against the Packers during his time as offensive coordinator, and that included season sweeps in 2022 and this past season, 2024. The Packers’ lone victory against the Lions during Johnson’s time as offensive coordinator in Detroit was on Thanksgiving last season when the Pack went into Ford Field and stunned the Lions, 29-22.
Other than that, it’s been coming up all aces for Johnson anytime he sees the cheeseheads on the other sideline, and he took the time to rub it in a bit against LaFleur and the Packers in his introductory press conference.
Johnson was talking about his respect for Dan Campbell, his former boss in Detroit, and Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. He then took his shot at LaFleur.
“Dan Campbell, Kevin O’Connell, you talk about two guys that are up for Coach of the Year awards as the season ends here,” Johnson said of his coaching competition in the NFC North. “And to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”
This is the Packers-Bears rivalry, so nothing is off-limits. Remember, it’s not all that long ago that Aaron Rodgers yelled expletives at the whole city of Chicago while telling Bears fans that he “owned them”. This is the NFL’s oldest rivalry, and it gets heated, so frankly, good on Johnson for adding some logs onto the fire.
He clearly knew what he was doing as well with that goofball smile, and he also clearly knows that he’s undoubtedly going to earn some major brownie points and street cred with Bears fans thanks to that comment.
It’s good fun in a rivalry, and frankly, the NFL could use a bit more heat between teams in this buddy-buddy era where all the players are seemingly best friends as soon as the game is over. It’s all good, and props to Johnson for going there in his very first opportunity to do so as head coach of the Bears, but this should not go over well in Green Bay.
LaFleur was called out, and now he needs to respond.
No, we’re not talking about an old-school mix...
