Odds for next Packers head coach favor Josh McDaniels, Matt LaFleur

You can bet on anything sports-related in Las Vegas or on the internet, and the identity of the Green Bay Packers’ next head coach is no exception. On Wednesday evening, online sportsbook BetDSI released their odds who will coach the Packers in 2019, and the top candidate should come as no surprise.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels comes in as the heavy favorite, getting even money at this stage with his interview taking place on Friday. However, the coach with the second-shortest odds may be a bit of a surprise.

That would be Matt LaFleur, the Titans’ current offensive coordinator. His interview is scheduled for Sunday, and he certainly is an intriguing fit. As the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2017, LaFleur helped Sean McVay turn that team around, taking them from a last-place ranking in points and yards in 2016 to first and tenth in those respective categories a year ago. In LaFleur’s first year as a playcaller, however, the Titans’ offense was a bottom-ten unit, dropping from a 2017 ranking of 19th in points to 27th and from 23rd to 25th in total yards.

It is also worth mentioning that LaFleur has come up through the coaching ranks with Kyle Shanahan, the current head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He worked as the quarterbacks coach in Washington from 2010 to 2013, when Shanahan was that team’s offensive coordinator, then had the same job under Shanahan with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and 2016. In the tandem’s final year in Atlanta, the Falcons went to the Super Bowl and LaFleur’s charge, Matt Ryan, won the MVP award thanks to one of the best statistical seasons from a passer in league history.

Interestingly, LaFleur’s career trajectory is a bit similar to that of Mike McCarthy just before the Packers hired him in 2006. McCarthy led a strong offense in New Orleans until 2004, then spent one year with the 49ers as the coordinator of a bottom-tier unit. In fact, McCarthy’s 2005 49ers offense finished last in yards and third-last in points, but he got the Packers’ job anyway and immediately led them to a ninth-place finish in total yards in his first year.

Here is a look at the current odds from BetDSI:

Green Bay Packers head coach in Week 1 of 2019 reg. season

• Josh McDaniels +100 (1:1)
• Matt LaFleur +250 (5:2)
• Jim Caldwell +350 (7:2)
• Dan Campbell +500 (5:1)
• Mike Munchak +1000 (10:1)
• Brian Flores +1000 (10:1)
• Chuck Pagano +1500 (15:1)
• Joe Philbin +2000 (20:1)