The Micah Parsons trade shook up the NFC North and sent shockwaves throughout the league. It’s vanishingly rare to see one of the league’s blue-chip players being dealt when he’s at the peak of his powers.
This offseason, Green Bay went through another uncommon occurrence when president Mark Murphy retired and Ed Policy stepped into the role. And, though you may not realize it, Policy played an indirect role in getting the Parsons deal done.
To what degree, exactly, was Policy involved? That’s difficult to say, although it’d be foolish to think he was kept in the dark.
Truth be told, Policy had to have played some direct role in the Parsons deal. Still, we don’t know to what degree. However, it’s foolish to think that this whole thing went down with Policy being kept in the dark the entire time and having no clue about it.
Indirectly, though, that’s where things get interesting.
If you took a poll of players and coaches throughout the league, or even asked the fanbase, few, if any, would suggest that either head coach Matt LaFleur or general manager Brian Gutekunst was on the hot seat. LaFleur has made the postseason in five of his six years as head coach in Green Bay and has also appeared in two NFC Championship games. Gutekunst has been a model of consistency, sticking to his core principles and adding some impact names on an almost annual basis via free agency and the draft.
The Parsons takes the cake, though, and some comments made by Policy may have forced his hand a bit.
Back in June, Policy was asked about LaFleur and Gutekunst’s contract. Both have two years remaining on their deals, counting this year. Policy didn’t commit to either long-term extension, which isn’t out of the ordinary. His comments did raise some eyebrows, though.
We’ll do whatever it takes to win football games. If that means changing the structure, then we’ll change the structure. Just like Mark was not wedded to the structure that he inherited when he came in, I would say I’m not wedded to the structure. We’ll do whatever is best for the Packers.
Part of that statement is almost mandatory. Of course, winning games — and championships — is always the top priority. And making no firm commitments to the current regime isn’t entirely provocative, although it is a bit peculiar given LaFleur and Gutekunst’s pedigree.
However, things got even more interesting from there.
If LaFleur and Gutekunst were to enter next year with no extensions in place, they would be in the final year of their deals. Policy clearly stated its opposition to a lame-duck coach or general manager.
I’m generally opposed — I’d never say never — (but) I’m generally opposed to a coach or GM going into the last year of their contract. That creates a lot of issues. I think normally you have a pretty good idea of where that relationship is going when you have two years left — not always, but normally.
It’s easy to put two and two together. Policy made no promises about granting LaFleur or Gutekunst extensions on their current deals, and he’s also disinclined to have a coach or general manager going into the final year of their contract with no clarity. It sounds like there’s a lot of pressure on LaFleur and Gutekunst in 2025.
Then came the Parsons deal.
The Parsons trade was a lot of things for Green Bay. They landed a top player in the NFL in the prime of his career. It was a message sent to the rest of the organization by Gutekunst that it’s time to win now. And it was pushing a lot of the poker chips into the middle of the table, sitting on pocket aces before seeing the turn or the river.
It may also have been Gutekunst feeling a little pressure to deliver right now, given Policy’s comments.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic further confirmed these thoughts from Policy more recently. Last week on The Pat McAfee Show, Schneidman detailed what he was hearing.
I spoke to someone recently and was told (Policy) is truly up in the air about the futures of Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst. If the Packers don’t make the playoffs this year, which I don’t think happens, but it’s a possibility, I could certainly see Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst, and I don’t think this is hyperbole, both getting fired after this year. He would like to make a decision one way or another after this season.
That might not quite be a bombshell, but it’s bombshell-adjacent. It seems wild to imagine both LaFleur and Gutekunst being gone after this year. However, Policy is in charge now, and he has said himself he’s not forced to stick with the current structure.
Gutekunst had several reasons to finalize the Parsons deal, and a significant one was getting the Packers back to the Super Bowl this season. It’s all but impossible that those comments weren’t a factor.
Policy’s words and the ensuing reports played at least an indirect role in this deal getting done. Sometimes it’s just uncomfortable saying the quiet part out loud.