NFC North head coach hierarchy talk overlooks what Matt LaFleur has already proven with the Packers
Ben Johnson arrived and brought new discussions to the division. But the analysis has to go beyond just one season.
The Green Bay Packers and the NFC North head coach rankings have become a popular offseason debate, with many now placing Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson above Packers coach Matt LaFleur after Johnson’s strong first season in Chicago.
The conversation around Dan Campbell and Kevin O’Connell has shifted, and Johnson has emerged as the trendy pick for the division’s best coach. But crowning him after one year ignores what LaFleur has built over multiple seasons in Green Bay and what truly separates good coaches from elite ones.
Ben Johnson’s ceiling vs. his resume
Johnson had an 11-6 record in his first season as Chicago’s head coach and won a postseason game, exactly against LaFleur and the Packers. That’s an impressive debut. He clearly adds value on the offensive side of the ball, and his potential is real. But treating him as an already-elite head coach after one season may be premature. Matt Nagy won Coach of the Year after his first season with the Bears, and that trajectory didn’t hold up over time.
What makes a head coach truly special is the ability to manage roster attrition, handle locker room issues, and keep a team competitive year after year. That’s the part of the job nobody can evaluate after 17 regular-season games and a 1-1 playoff record.
LaFleur’s track record speaks for itself
For comparison, LaFleur went 13-3 in his first season with the Packers. Green Bay had gone 6-9-1 the year before under Mike McCarthy and interim HC Joe Philbin. LaFleur revamped the culture, won the divisional round against the Seattle Seahawks after earning a bye, and reached the NFC Championship Game, where the Packers lost to a dominant San Francisco 49ers team.
That first-year improvement was massive. And the criticism of LaFleur came later, tied to the year-over-year attrition that every coach eventually faces. The fact that he navigated those challenges and kept the Packers competitive through roster turnover and a quarterback transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love is the kind of sustained success that defines coaching quality.
Patience is the missing ingredient
None of this takes away from what Johnson accomplished in his first year. He earned the results he got. But the conversation about where he ranks among NFC North coaches needs time to develop. What happens in Year 2, Year 3, and beyond will define whether Johnson belongs at the top of that hierarchy. LaFleur’s body of work over multiple seasons, through roster transitions and coaching staff changes, is the standard Johnson is being measured against.
The comparison will be fair once there’s more data. Right now, putting Johnson above LaFleur projects potential over proven track record, and that’s a distinction worth making before redrawing the NFC North coaching hierarchy.