The NFL’s official offseason hasn’t begun, but most teams are already looking ahead to 2026 — hiring coaches, finalizing staff and plotting roster moves before the new league year in March. Front offices are already weighing cuts, trades, extensions and potential franchise tags.
Packers keep core football leaders
Green Bay has locked up coach Matt LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst and executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball to multi-year contract extensions, a move announced by Packers president and CEO Ed Policy. The decision follows a 9-8-1 campaign that produced a third straight playoff trip (sixth in seven seasons) but ended with a 31-27 wild-card loss to Chicago and a five-game losing streak to close the year. Policy said the organization remains committed to the trio’s leadership despite disappointment over how the season finished and emphasized a shared focus on returning the team to championship contention. LaFleur enters this new deal with a 76-40-1 regular-season record in Green Bay, having reached the playoffs in six of his seven seasons (including NFC title-game berths in 2019 and 2020); the Packers have been the NFC’s No. 7 seed each of the last three years.
Falcons expected to cut — then maybe re-sign — Kirk Cousins
According to The Athletic, Atlanta plans to release veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins but could attempt to bring him back on a cheaper contract. Cousins, 37, joined the Falcons on a four-year, $180 million deal in 2024 after recovering from an Achilles tear. He was benched late that season in favor of Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons’ No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft; Penix started the 2025 opener but later suffered a season-ending ACL injury in November. Cousins stepped in for eight starts in 2025, completing 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns, five interceptions and an 84.8 passer rating, and the team went 5-3 in those games. Still, those numbers may not be enough for him to remain in Atlanta’s long-term plans under the new front-office setup led by Matt Ryan and head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Please check for the latest updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fan Take: Keeping LaFleur, Gutekunst and Ball signals the Packers want continuity and believe the current regime can turn late-season struggles into a championship push — stability that matters in a results-driven league. The Cousins situation underscores how cap considerations and a push toward younger, cheaper quarterbacks continue to reshape roster decisions across the NFL.
