Rivalries and beefs are just your everyday parlour talk in the NFL. If you look at teams, for instance, there’s the iconic rivalries between Cowboys vs. Eagles, Ravens vs. Steelers, and, of course, Packers vs. Bears, to name a few. There’s also Ward the beef between Ray Lewis and Hines, Polamalu and the Ravens team overall. These narratives haven’t just shaped the teams in the NFL, they’ve also egged the players on to give their very best on the gridiron. But that’s all about the teams and players, what about the coaches?
There’s a rich history of coaches going head-to-head in the NFL as well. Maybe not always in pressers, but almost always through their teams showing skills on the field. Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh‘s coaching rivalry, Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Shanahan, George Halas and Curly Lambeau, Sean Payton and Ron Rivera, the list goes on. And, there’s a fresh addition to the list with a rather public statement from one of the coaches. We are, of course, talking about Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur had a candid conversation recently on the podcast Bussin’ With The Boys hosted by Will Compton and Taylor Lewan. On the show, Compton and Lewan asked LaFleur, “Do you have beef with coach Johnson?” LaFleur, ever the good sport, laughs and says, “I was waiting for this. I don’t know Ben Johnson.” and when he is asked the same question again, he gives a sly wink and doubles down that he doesn’t, after all, know Johnson. LaFleur further adds, “I respect him as a football coach. He did a nice job.” Compton and Lewan, not backing down, double down themselves and ask, “But if you don’t know him – why is it tight in here?” LaFleur defends and adds, “It’s not tight. – I thought the, the press conference was interesting, but I don’t have beef with him.” Popcorn ready? Let’s give you some context.
Is there beef in the NFC North? pic.twitter.com/znOETm1qO6
— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) April 29, 2025
Matt LaFleur is, of course, referencing the infamous introductory presser when Ben Johnson started his journey as HC for the Chicago Bears. In the presser he name-dropped Matt LaFleur and said, “to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.” Now, the Bears vs. Packers rivalry is not news to anybody, and when Johnson was a part of Dan Campbell’s offense, he did beat LaFleur twice in consecutive years. But these two do not have any shared history, so maybe Johnson was simply appealing himself to the Bears crowd. It worked, didn’t it? But LaFleur is keeping it cool and saying on the podcast, “I don’t get it all into that stuff.” Even when asked if he will send Johnson the eye emojis after a win, he calmly says, “I don’t have his number, so that won’t happen.”
Matt LaFleur is cool, calm, and collected. And while we unpack this Bears vs. Packers rivalry again, there’s another challenge thrown at LaFleur, this time with Jim Harbaugh HC for the Los Angeles Chargers, and former NFL quarterback.
Matt LaFleur vs. Jim Harbaugh?
There was a time (sometime last year) when Matt LaFleur held the highest winning percentage among the active coaches in the NFL, going 56 – 27 at one point. But that was before Jim Harbaugh entered the scene again. Harbaugh’s record was 44-19-1. In terms of the percentile, he was No.1 and LaFleur came a close second. While these numbers may have changed since the last season, the Bussin’ With the Boys folks shot another question at LaFleur.
“You’re going to Jim Harbaugh after a game?” they asked, and Matt, cool as ever, said, “No, I would never do that.” They doubled down on LaFleur again with, “Do you have the strength to do that?” and Matt says, amid laughter across the room, “I don’t know. Probably not.” and then he looks at his own arm and adds, “Apparently not.” This guy is the definition of a good sport, rolling with the punches and just staying chill, no matter what questions Compton and Lewan throw at him.
Whether it’s Matt LaFleur and Ben Johnson, or Jim Harbaugh, NFL rivalries are never going out of style, and we are going to be following them with as much interest as a Super Bowl matchup or a locker room controversy. Whether these playful banters between coaches will turn into a more heated rivalry as the new season arrives, that remains to be seen.
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