Detroit Lions fans were able to kick their feet up at home on Saturday night and witness one of the biggest collapses in Matt LaFleur's tenure as the Green Bay Packers head coach.
The oft-snobby coach who was able to snag two victories from the Lions this regular season got to see his 2025 postseason aspirations slip away thanks to the Chicago Bears, led by Ben Johnson. The irony is so obvious that it almost feels gauche to mention it. The Packers are now out of the postseason, while the Bears have a date with the No. 1 seed Seattle Seahawks in a divisional game.
Detroit fans are going to understandably feel warm and fuzzy about this loss, but heed this warning before you break out the champagne: LaFleur's latest, stinging loss could inadvertantly cause the Lions to lose out on one of their top offensive coordinator targets this offseason.
LaFleur's huge loss could throw Lions' OC search all the way off
Think of the biggest names on the coaching circuit right now: John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, and likely, Mike McDaniel. The first two on this list are going to be sought out for bigger name roles, like coaching a marquee New York Giants team, or revitalizing a lost Baltimore Ravens squad (that role leans Stefanski, for obvious reasons).
Stefanski and McDaniel are likely coaches that the Lions would want to at least have a conversation with about taking over one of the nastiest offenses in the NFL, not just the NFC. An untapped ceiling has to be appealing to coaches like that, looking for a second-chance to show just how valuable they can be to a functional football team.
However, following LaFleur's egg, the noise has ramped up significantly around the Packers' impending offseason and their decision on whether or not to retain him as a head coach.
A Harbaugh connection has already been made, courtesy ESPN's Adam Schefter. The senior reporter and insider told the Postseason Countdown crew that the Packers' decision on whether to end LaFleur's time in Green Bay is completely up to the team's president, Ed Policy. But, there was a prior relationship to Harbaugh and Green Bay thanks to their ex-president, Bob Harlan.
READ MORE: Lions must go bigger than staying in-house to address top defensive concern
"Bob Harlan's son, Brian Harlan, represents...John Harbaugh. John Harbaugh is a Midwestern guy who has a home in the Upper Peninsula, and a lot of people around the league have been wondering: if the Packers decide to go in a different direction, if all of a sudden, the Green Bay Packers might vault to the top of John Harbaugh's list as the top available choice for him."
If Harbaugh were to pull a 180 and go from leaning towards the Giants or Tennessee Titans, to going into a wild NFC North division, it would mean that McDaniel, Stefanski, and then LaFleur are going to be pursued relentlessly for several head coaching vacancies. This is a bad sign for the Lions, who have already expressed interest in interviewing McDaniel for their OC role.
The sliver of hope here is that the Packers are maybe set on taking another year to evaluate LaFleur with a healthier roster. That would keep things on their current course: Stefanski getting an interview with Baltimore, Harbaugh likely looking at New York and Tennessee as top options, and McDaniel potentially ending up in Detroit.
But, you can't help but feel like LaFleur might've just thrown a wrench into everyone's fan-projections for each coach's next stop by losing in embarrassing fashion this year.