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Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stayed away from it. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley stayed away from it. But offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich was willing to make a statement about what Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said in his opening press conference.
If you need a reminder, Johnson was surprisingly hired by the Bears after being the belle of the ball in the 2025 coaching cycle. Johnson was able to net a contract paying him $13 million per year as a first-time head coach, which is likely more than LaFleur, who is 75-36-1 in the NFL and going into a contract year in 2026, is being paid. As a reminder, the Packers do not disclose their coaching salaries, but LaFleur was reportedly paid $5 million per year when he was first hired in Green Bay.
When Johnson got the head job, he said the following in his first press conference as a Bear:
I want to stay in this division. I know this is the toughest division in football right now. There’s three teams that made the playoff this year. I’ve got tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and the players in this league. Having competed against them for the last six years. Dan Campbell, Kevin O’Connell, you’re talking about two guys who are up for Coach of the Year Awards as the season ends here. And to be quite frank with you, I kinda enjoyed Matt LaFleur twice a year.
At the time, LaFleur said that the comment came out of left field and that he hadn’t spoken to Johnson in the past. This week, he wouldn’t add any fuel to the fire.
But on Thursday, Stenavich, who was notably interviewed for the same head coaching position that Johnson ended up receiving, got a question asking him if he felt Johnson’s comment was reflective of the entire Green Bay staff. Stenavich’s response, “Yeah, you take it personal, for sure. I’ll just leave it at that.”
So the Packers’ coaches can say whatever they want when they’re public-facing, but the truth is what we all knew already: Johnson got under these guys’ skin. As Hafley said, when deflecting a similar question: “We’ll figure it out on Sunday.”
