The Green Bay Packers will officially dive into the 2025 NFL preseason when they host the New York Jets for a Lambeau Field showdown on Saturday night. Packers fans are eager to see how the new and returning faces will perform this weekend, especially as head coach Matt LaFleur's staff gets closer to the 53-man roster deadline with each passing day.
As with any preseason opener, the Green Bay faithful is curious about who LaFleur & Co. will deploy against the Jets on Saturday. Starters rarely play the entirety of exhibition matchups, making it interesting to see who'll be taking the field and for how often when New York comes to town.
Regardless of who winds up playing, though, Packers fans shouldn't expect to see LaFleur making his presence felt at Lambeau Field.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur Won't Call Plays in Preseason
Much like he has in previous preseasons, LaFleur won't be the Packers' playcaller this month, according to The Athletic's Matt Schneidman.
"Similar to past years, expect the likes of (offensive coordinator) Adam Stenavich, (passing game coordinator) Jason Vrable, (tight ends coach) John Dunn, and others to handle those duties, Schneidman wrote following Wednesday morning's practice.
Matt LaFleur says he will not call plays in the preseason. Similar to past years, expect the likes of OC Adam Stenavich, PGC Jason Vrable, TE coach John Dunn and others to handle those duties.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 6, 2025
LaFleur's decision to leave preseason playcalling to his assistants and coordinators is par for the course. It was only last preseason when the 45-year-old HC revealed that he likes to give more responsibilities to his staff during the preseason because "it gives the assistants experience and him a chance to see the big picture."
While LaFleur is one of the NFL's best coaches, he can only do so much on his own. The fact that he wants his assistants and coordinators to be more self-sufficient is a great thing, and could help the Packers become even more of a well-oiled machine in the long wrong.
Besides, it isn't as if Green Bay's staff is lacking experience. Stenavich and Vrable both had significant opportunities to call plays last summer, and the upcoming showdown with the Bengals (and the rest of the exhibition slate) will allow the duo to showcase what they learned from the experience.
Stenavich coached the Packers to a 23-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in last year's preseason opener, leaving time to tell if he and the other coaches can replicate that success this weekend.