The Green Bay Packers are planning to host the Arizona Cardinals for a joint practice ahead of a potential Week 3 preseason matchup, pending league approval, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. Adding to the intrigue, the Cardinals are entering their first season under new head coach Mike LaFleur, the younger brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
Matt and Mike are the third head coaching duo in NFL history who are also brothers, joining John and Jim Harbaugh and Jon and Jay Gruden.
Matt has long been a proponent of joint practices, so perhaps the affinity runs in the family. The Packers have held a joint practice in every season since Matt was hired in 2019, except 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Matt has gone on record saying he views joint practices as a way to get starters quality reps against legit competition in a more controlled and safer environment than a preseason game.
Last year, Green Bay hosted the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks for a joint practice before the two teams faced off in Week 3 of the preseason. Several multi-player fights broke out between the Packers and Seahawks, which is a common theme during joint practices, so it will be worth monitoring whether the sibling storyline adds another layer of intensity.
Adding another brother storyline to the joint practice is a likely meeting between Packers receiver/cornerback Bo Melton and Cardinals cornerback Max Melton.
Also, new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will face the team he coached for the last three seasons. The Cardinals fired Gannon in January, and he found a new home in Green Bay as the replacement for Jeff Hafley.
An exact date for the joint practice likely won’t be known until after the NFL releases the full 2026 schedule, which typically happens in mid-May.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Battle of the LaFleurs: Packers plan to host Cardinals for joint practice
Reporting by Brandon Carwile, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
