GREEN BAY, Wis. (WSAW) - The Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals held a joint practice at Lambeau Field, with one preseason game remaining Friday before roster cuts. The day carried extra meaning for two sets of brothers on opposite sidelines.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur shared a practice field as head coaches for the first time. Mike is in his first year as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Matt LaFleur said the NFL allows teams to put in one request for preseason games, and this matchup was his.
“You know the way I view today is we’re all one, and obviously the ties are pretty strong, and obviously if I’m not rooting for the Green Bay Packers, I’m rooting for the Arizona Cardinals,” Matt LaFleur said.
Mike LaFleur said he is always rooting for his brother, within limits.
“You’re always rooting for your brother as long as it doesn’t affect the Arizona Cardinals. I love this team, this place, so yeah. It’s great it’s not the regular season, more so for my mom,” Mike LaFleur said.
A rivalry with little fighting
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Matt LaFleur is seven and a half years older than his brother. He said the two rarely fought growing up as a result.
“He was more of a pest, so... Picture me at 18. He’s ten and a half, eleven, so there was not a lot of fighting going on,” Matt LaFleur said.
The brothers spent time together while Mike was still playing and later coached together with the Falcons. They have faced each other at other points in the NFL, but Wednesday marked the first time they did so both as head coaches of their teams.
“I’m as close to him as anybody, so I love him. I don’t want to say because this isn’t a slight, I am proud of him. I think he’s done a great job. He’s true to who he is. He’s a great human being, great father, I think he has an exceptional football mind, and I think he does things the right way,” Matt LaFleur said.
Both brothers said they talk all the time. Mike LaFleur said they text each other one less time than they do their wives. Matt LaFleur said Mike and his family will stay with them Wednesday night.
The Meltons face off again
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The LaFleurs were not the only brothers on the field. Packers receiver Bo Melton and Cardinals cornerback Max Melton have now played against each other twice as members of their respective teams, including once directly against each other in a game.
Wednesday’s practice opened with a one-on-one race between the two brothers, organized by the LaFleurs.
“The only crazy part about that is, I came in this morning, and I already knew that we weren’t doing 1-on-1s, so we had like, a schedule, and all you see is 1-on-1s. It’s like this thing, and it was like 30 seconds, and I was like, that’s probably me that’s going to be up there for that 1-on-1. All you see is a picture of me and my brother. I said aw man, that’s going to be first thing, and we had a red zone rip, but it was fun though,” Bo Melton said.
Bo Melton won the race. Max Melton told Arizona reporters afterward that he let his older brother win. Bo Melton disagreed.
Packers start fast, struggle to finish
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Packers members are running out of time to make an impression before cuts.
The Packers’ one and only preseason joint practice mimicked their 2025 season in many ways. The team started fast, particularly on offense, but struggled to finish in the final moments.
Filming was not permitted during the scrimmage portion of practice. Early on, quarterback Jordan Love hit Matthew Golden on a deep pass for a touchdown.
“MG ran a great route, and I just put it out there, and I think for him, he did a great job just going down with the ball, secure the catch with two guys kind of closing in on him. But really just good execution all around on him; it’s one of those bang-bang plays, but really just good execution all around on that one,” Jordan Love said.
On defense, Brandon Cisse continued his rookie camp with an interception.
“I mean it was good, it was just kind of like high school when you’re scrimmaging against one another so it’s good just to get those kind of reps down, to against somebody else in practice for that many plays is obviously very good,” Cisse said.
As the day went on, trash talk between the two teams picked up.
“I enjoyed it. It was fun. It’s football. You love when a person is talking trash, and it’s cool. We all do it. We all do it. It’s part of the game. I think we enjoyed it and I think they enjoyed it as well,” running back MarShawn Lloyd said.
In the two-minute drill, the Packers came up empty twice on offense while the Cardinals scored twice.
“We gotta find ways to just keep executing and just taking it one play at a time, and it’s good stuff. I’m glad stuff’s happening now that we can continue to work on, but stuff will carry over into the start of the season,” Love said.
For players on the roster bubble, Friday’s preseason finale is the final audition. Cut day is Sunday at 5 p.m., earlier than in past years, as players await word on their roster status before the start of the regular season.
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