Jan. 19, 2026, 8:08 p.m. CT
The Green Bay Packers have an opening at defensive coordinator after Jeff Hafley agreed to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, but a recently fired head coach who has a strong relationship and past work experience with Matt LaFleur is likely to be a top candidate to replace Hafley in the role in 2026.
Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN, former Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris is expected to be “at or near the top” of LaFleur’s list of defensive coordinator candidates after losing Hafley to Miami on Monday.
Morris and LaFleur previously worked together in Washington (2012-13) and Atlanta (2015-16). Morris also spent three years as the defensive coordinator on Sean McVay’s staff in Los Angeles before taking the head coaching job back in Atlanta in 2024.
The Falcons fired Morris after an 8-9 season in 2025. He went 16-18 over two seasons in Atlanta.
A veteran defensive coach with playcalling experience, Morris would be well suited to hit the ground running for a veteran team with Micah Parsons leading the way and Super Bowl aspirations entering 2026.
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Morris was previously the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2009-11). He served on two Super Bowl winning staffs; the first as a defensive quality control assistant in Tampa Bay in 2002 and the second as defensive coordinator with the Rams in 2021.
One benefit of hiring Morris is he is unlikely to be a strong head coaching candidate in the coming years after two previous failed coaching opportunities, lessening the risk of immediately losing him if he excels in the defensive coordinator role in Green Bay.