Losing a 21-3 lead to your biggest rival in the playoffs is the kind of thing that burns a hole in a fan base’s soul. Honestly, watching the Green Bay Packers melt down at Soldier Field on January 10, 2026, felt like a slow-motion car crash. One minute, Jordan Love is carving up the Chicago Bears like a Thanksgiving turkey. The next, the defense is playing ten yards off the ball and the offense has completely forgotten that Josh Jacobs is on the roster.
It was ugly.
But if you’re looking for the latest Green Bay Packers updates, you have to look past the 31-27 heartbreak. The lockers are empty now. Players like Christian Watson and Jayden Reed have headed home for the winter, and the "futures" contracts are already being signed. The 2025 season ended with a 9-7-1 record and a lot of "what ifs," mostly centered on a defense that lost its teeth when Micah Parsons went down with a torn ACL in Week 15.
The Fallout of the 2025 Season and Who’s Staying
Matt LaFleur isn’t going anywhere. Despite the second-half collapse against Chicago, the front office is already moving to extend his contract before it expires in 2026. CEO Ed Policy—who took over for Mark Murphy last July—seems to realize that a coach with a 76-40-1 record doesn't just grow on trees.
The real question is the coaching staff underneath him. Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley is currently the hottest name on the head-coaching interview circuit. If he leaves, LaFleur has to find someone who can maintain the 4-3 aggressive style that actually worked quite well until the injury bug bit.
Roster Shuffles: The First Wave of 2026
Brian Gutekunst didn't wait 48 hours to start tinkering. On January 12, the team announced 16 reserve/future signings. Most of these are practice squad guys like wide receiver Will Sheppard and tackle Brant Banks. But the one that caught everyone’s eye? Lucas Havrisik.
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Why does a backup kicker matter? Because Brandon McManus had a nightmare in the Wild Card round. He missed two field goals and an extra point. In a four-point loss, that’s the game. Havrisik actually hit a 61-yarder earlier in the season while filling in. Don't be surprised if there's a full-blown kicking competition in training camp.
The team also brought back Pierre Strong Jr. to the mix. With Emanuel Wilson hitting free agency and the Packers sitting roughly $14 million over the 2026 salary cap, cheap depth at running back is basically a requirement.
Jordan Love and the "Almost" Elite Leap
Jordan Love finished the 2025 season with some wild stats. 3,381 yards. 23 touchdowns. Only 6 interceptions in 15 games.
He’s efficient. Kinda deadly, actually.
In that final loss to the Bears, he threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Zero picks. Usually, when your QB puts up those numbers, you win by two scores. But the Green Bay Packers updates from the film room show a team that went three-and-out on three of four possessions in the third quarter. LaFleur admitted he got too pass-happy. He tried to keep the foot on the gas instead of letting Jacobs burn the clock.
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- Love's 2025 Passer Rating: 103.8
- Love's Performance in the Red Zone: Top 5 in the league (pre-playoffs)
- The Problem: The lack of a "closer" instinct when the lead is double digits.
The Injury Ward: Rebuilding the Puzzle
You can't talk about this team without talking about the ACLs.
Losing Tucker Kraft to a torn ACL against the Panthers was bad. Losing Micah Parsons—the guy they traded Kenny Clark to get—was catastrophic. Parsons was a First-Team All-Pro even with the missed time. He’s already posted on social media that he's eyeing a September return, but a torn ACL in mid-December is a tight window.
Then there’s Zach Tom. He’s the anchor of that line, and he missed the playoff game with a knee issue. He told reporters during locker clean-out that he’s considering surgery. If he goes under the knife now, he’s looking at a six-month recovery. That puts him right at the start of training camp.
Looming Free Agency Scares
The Packers have a massive list of guys with expiring deals.
- Rasheed Walker: The left tackle wants to stay, but someone might overpay him.
- Romeo Doubs: One of Love's most trusted targets.
- Quay Walker: The linebacker has been up and down, but losing him leaves a massive hole in the middle.
- Malik Willis: The backup QB showed flashes, but a hamstring injury sidelined him late.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Defense
People want to blame the scheme for the 31-27 loss. "Why were they playing soft zone?"
The truth is, they didn't have the personnel left to play man-to-man. Trevon Diggs was a great mid-season pickup from the Cowboys, and he played well, but without a pass rush from Parsons or a healthy Rashan Gary, Caleb Williams had all day to throw.
You can’t play aggressive defense when your pass rush is nonexistent. It’s like trying to win a drag race with a flat tire.
Actionable Insights for the Offseason
If you're following the Green Bay Packers updates to see how they fix this, watch the draft and the cap casualties. They have to get younger on the defensive line and find a way to keep the receiving corps together.
- Watch the Salary Cap: Gutekunst has to shave off about $15 million just to get even. Look for contract restructures for guys like Jaire Alexander or even Love himself.
- Monitor Zach Tom’s Rehab: If he opts for surgery, the Packers almost certainly have to look at a tackle in the first two rounds of the 2026 Draft.
- The Kicker Battle: Don't buy a Brandon McManus jersey. The signing of Havrisik suggests the team is ready to move on from veteran inconsistency.
- Defensive Coordinator Watch: If Jeff Hafley gets a head coaching job, the search will be wide. Look for LaFleur to prioritize someone who keeps the 4-3 base but adds more "simulated pressure" packages.
The window for this team is wide open because Jordan Love is the real deal. But as we saw in Chicago, a great QB can't always outrun a collapsing defense and a struggling special teams unit. The road to the 2026 season starts with these small, boring roster moves in January.
Keep an eye on the "Give Big Green Bay" event in February. It's a nice distraction from the football drama, but the real news will happen in the scouting rooms at 1265 Lombardi Avenue. They have the pieces; they just need them to stay in one piece.