Jan. 25, 2026, 4:36 p.m. ET
You can take another name off the list for the Washington Commanders in their search for a new defensive coordinator. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Green Bay Packers are hiring former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon as their new defensive coordinator.
The Cardinals fired Gannon immediately after Arizona finished the 2025 season with a 3-14 record. Gannon finished his Cardinals’ tenure with a 15-36 overall record. The Commanders interviewed Gannon earlier in their search for a new defensive coordinator, following the January 6 firing of Joe Whitt Jr.
Jeff Ulbrich of the Atlanta Falcons, along with Raheem Morris, the former Falcons’ head coach, were considered the frontrunners for the job. However, the Falcons denied other teams permission to speak with Ulbrich while they were in the middle of their head coaching search. Then, new head coach Kevin Stefanski retained Ulbrich, taking him off the market.
Morris, fired after the Falcons went 8-9 in back-to-back seasons, is still a contender for the Cardinals’ head coaching job and could also be weighing a media career instead of being a defensive coordinator in 2026. Both Morris and Ulbrich have deep ties to Washington head coach Dan Quinn.
The Packers hired Gannon after losing defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Halfley left Green Bay to take over as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
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It’s unknown how seriously the Commanders were considering Gannon. It would seem that if he were a top candidate, a deal would’ve already been done. One contender for the job, Seahawks passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Karl Scott, is coaching in this weekend’s NFC Championship game.