Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur signed a contract extension in January as the 15th head coach in franchise history. However, despite earning that trust through a strong track record (including 76 regular-season wins, tied for second-most in NFL history), LaFleur has hit an all-time low in his eighth year with the team, starting 1-2 for the first time in his tenure.

Due to that disappointing start, LaFleur has been facing a lot of criticism. The Packers’ 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons has put their head coach firmly on the hot seat. With things spiraling like that, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith revealed where things are heading for the Packers HC.

“I think [Packers season’s over],” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “I got to admit this. Let me tell you something right now. I think it’s the end of Matt LaFleur. I think Matt LaFleur will be lucky to finish this first half of the season with a job as the head coach for the Green Bay Packers.

“They look like a soft team. They look like a team that can be pushed around. They clearly are a team ill-equipped to win games without Micah Parsons, who they are one and six without. They ended the season last year on a five-game losing streak. They started off this season getting blitzed in the fourth quarter against Minnesota…Bottom line is that this is a Green Bay Packers team that is not impressive.”

LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers’ 2026 season has been somewhat shaky with a 1-2 record so far, where every game also had a vivid story to tell about the unit.

During the Packers’ Week 1 22-39 defeat against the Minnesota Vikings, the defense was carved up early, putting Green Bay in a massive hole. QB Jordan Love threw for 387 yards as the team tried to mount a comeback.

Next up, when the LaFleur & Co. faced the New York Jets in Week 2, a completely different result unfolded. The offense struggled mightily, converting a miserable 1-for-9 on third downs, and trailed 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

However, the defense stepped up, shutting down the Jets late and allowing Love to orchestrate a comeback. As a result, rookie kicker Trey Smack eventually received an opportunity to hammer home a 26-yard game-winning field goal in overtime.

Despite the victory, protection issues mounted. LaFleur’s quarterback was held to just 145 passing yards.

In their most recent (Week 3) game, the Packers suffered the worst home-opening loss of the Matt LaFleur era. Although Green Bay jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, things unraveled instantly. The Falcons, energized by the return of starting QB Michael Penix Jr., rattled off to win the game 35-14.

Stephen A. Smith wasn’t pleased with the way the Packers have performed so far. As a result, he is writing off HC LaFleur for the 2026 season.

“I don’t expect Matt LaFleur to have a job within the next few weeks. I think that he will be out of a head coaching job for the Green Bay Packers,” Smith added.

Speaking of his relationship with his players, Matt LaFleur ranked second to last in the league for “respect for players,” as per the 2026 NFLPA Player Survey report, which meant that a segment of the locker room felt a lack of it and felt he was only moderately receptive to player feedback.

The eighth-season head coach addressed the report directly; rather than being overly defensive, he acknowledged the clear disconnect.

“I don’t feel that way, but unfortunately some guys did. That tells me I’ve got to do a better job of communicating. It goes back to the relationship piece. I think it’s so critical…the one thing I’ve learned in this business is: You can’t please everybody. You can’t be all things to all people. And ultimately, you got to make decisions that you feel are in the best interest of your football team,” LaFleur said in March.

For a veteran sports analyst like Stephen A. Smith, these are enough evidences to predict LaFleur’s exit from the Packers before the 2026 season ends, and he isn’t shying away from saying it out loud.