Even though the NFL won a grievance against the NFLPA to end public annual team report cards, the results of the 2026 survey made their way outside closed doors. 

What they revealed for the Green Bay Packers was a dip in coach Matt LaFleur's approval rating. LaFleur received a B- one year after earning an A- from his players and thus was one of the six lowest-regarded coaches in the league.

The low mark was due in part to LaFleur's unfavorable reception when it came to "respect for players."

"I don't feel that way, but unfortunately some guys did," LaFleur said Monday at the Annual League Meeting, via ESPN. "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. We always talk about connected teams are powerful teams, and we have to grow that connection."

LaFleur had the self-awareness to identify where he might have rubbed players the wrong way.

"If I'm being honest about it, I think there were some guys that were upset about roles last year, and I think that took a toll on our football team," LaFleur said. "I think from a coaching standpoint, role clarity is key. So we've got to obviously do a better job communicating with our players, 'Hey here's your role and if you're unhappy about your role, it's on you to do something about that, to carve out a role on this football team.'"

This could help explain some of the Packers' struggles down the stretch. What was for most of the year a promising campaign went sour in December when Green Bay closed the regular season with four consecutive losses. Despite being four games above .500 at one point, the Packers entered the postseason without home-field advantage in the wild card round.

They proceeded to blow a three-score lead and lose to the rival Chicago Bears, who dealt them a fifth consecutive defeat and a bitter end to their year.

Winning cures most things, and the Packers did not do enough of that over the final month of the season. Perhaps LaFleur would have made a more positive impression on disgruntled players had the campaign not ended on such a disappointing note.

If the poor grade goes beyond that, though, LaFleur has some adjustments to make in the coming months. If his players feel as though they don't have his respect, it'll be difficult to return to Super Bowl contention.

What else must happen for the Packers to make a Super Bowl run?

Rebuilding trust in the locker room should be a top priority for LaFleur as he seeks to take the Packers deeper into the playoffs. In-game execution must improve, too. Green Bay blew countless leads last year and lost a number of winnable games, and that was never more apparent than in the aforementioned final contest of the campaign.

The blown 18-point lead was the fourth-largest in franchise history and the most sizable in a postseason game. That came after the Packers surrendered 10-point advantages against the Bears and Cleveland Browns in the regular season.

"I think it definitely starts with the mentality, but it's got to be in everything we do from as soon as we get on the grass," LaFleur said. "Whether it's individual, there's got to be a start and finish to every drill, and I think it's got to be constantly on our mind because that is the one thing that we did not do last year. We lost way too many games late in the game where we had leads or just had opportunities to close people out, and we didn't get it done."

Players' buy-in is unquestionably a part of holding onto leads, and that comes back to LaFleur's B- grade and apparent "lack of respect." But it's also a complex issue that, to some extent, was out of the Packers' control. Losing Micah Parsons to a season-ending injury, for instance, did nothing to help them hold onto advantages.

A step forward in this department next year is imperative as the Packers seek to unseat the Bears atop the NFC North and, for the first time in the eight-year LaFleur era, advance beyond the conference championship game.