The 2025 NFL season might be over now with Super Bowl LX in the rear view, but for the Green Bay Packers, they’ve already spent the past few weeks with eyes toward the horizon.

With former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley taking a menagerie of defensive coaches with him to Miami, and former QB coach Sean Mannion taking a promotion in Philadelphia, the recently extended Matt LaFleur is assembling the staff that will determine his future with the Packers.

The defensive charges are dominating the headlines, but the Packers made an intriguing hire on the offensive side of the ball. To replace wide receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey, who heads to Philly with Mannion, the Packers are reportedly hiring Penn State’s Noah Pauley to fill the void.

The #Packers are hiring Penn State’s Noah Pauley as wide receivers coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

Rising star who interviewed for the 49ers OC job last year. Has developed future top three round draft picks like Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and current Packer Christian Watson. pic.twitter.com/tHdMLIwZD6

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 5, 2026

The Packers are a draft-and-develop team, even with coaches who usually promote from within. However, LaFleur hired an ascending coach with experience outside of his system. LaFleur and the Packers consistently have a top-tier offense. Still, there’s room for growth, and outside voices to bring in new perspectives and challenge LaFleur when needed. What can we expect from Noah Pauley, and does this signal a change in how the Packers will enhance their offensive coaching staff?

Viewed as a rising star, Pauley quickly ascended the collegiate ranks, with stops at Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota State, and Iowa State. He joined Penn State’s staff following the 2025 season but will now develop Green Bay’s young group of pass catchers.

Noah’s an upcoming superstar and has done an unbelievable job developing top tier pro prospects at non-traditional power programs. Future P4/NFL OC.

Also that guy who is annoyingly good at everything. Football, golf, hoops, darts, ping pong, billiards, Monopoly. Doesn’t matter. https://t.co/0VqRCgs2KY

— Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) February 5, 2026

It’s Pauley’s first NFL coaching role, though he interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator opening last year.

Pauley’s star is most apparent at the NFL level, thanks to his rapid promotions and the already star-studded group of NFL wide receivers he’s developed. Iowa State produced two top-80 draft picks last year in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. However, Packers fans will be most familiar with his star pupil from his time at NDSU — Christian Watson.

Watson previously praised Pauley’s coaching.

Coach Pauley, now that I’ve been with him for a few years, the amount of effort and dedication he puts into the program and the receiver group, I think it’s really shown in terms of my success and other receivers’ success. … I can’t thank Coach Pauley enough for what he’s done to help me develop as a man, a player, a leader on this football team.

Now, Pauley gets the chance to take his student’s game to the next level.

Christian Watson had a phenomenal return to action after missing the first half of the 2025 season, staying healthy and flirting with the forbidden “WR1” status LaFleur would rather not discuss.

Watson received a one-year contract for some cushion as he worked his way back into the lineup and is gearing up for a long-term deal. Teaming up with his college coach could take his game to the next level.

It isn’t just the Watson connection that makes this hiring exciting.

We all know how young and inexperienced Green Bay’s receiving corps has been since Jordan Love became the starter. In 2024, the group was plagued with issues; mostly drops, but plenty of incorrect routes and mental mistakes as well.

The group saw growth under Mahaffey in 2025, ranking seventh in the polarizing PFF grades, up from 16th in 2024. Still, there was room for improvement.

That young receiving corps is battle-tested, and youth can no longer be an excuse. Still, there were occasional drops and mental issues. In hindsight, it’s fair to say the coaching staff didn’t do the best job putting first-round pick Matthew Golden in a position to succeed.

Given Pauley’s history of preparing receivers for the NFL, it stands to reason that he can help Green Bay’s group elevate to another level and ensure players are placed in the best position. While Ryan Mahaffey worked in many different spots on offense, Noah Pauley is a dedicated and experienced wide receiver coach. That experience should lead to a more polished group.

As baffling as it is, the trio of Tucker Kraft, Watson, and Golden never were on the field together in the regular season. Ideally, Pauley can maximize that group early to get Green Bay’s best pass catchers to work early.

Hiring Pauley also shows LaFleur’s willingness to look outside his inner circle for solutions. Despite just receiving a contract extension, the pressure has never been higher on LaFleur. After seven years without a trip to the Super Bowl, LaFleur needs to be brutally honest with his self-scouting to get over the dreaded hump.

Make no mistake: This is Matt LaFleur’s offense, and it will be regardless of who works under him. The Packers have also consistently had a good offense. But little old me on the couch has always believed LaFleur could use more outside voices on his staff. Coaches who have worked in other systems under other coaches can bring fresh ideas, make unbiased judgments, and challenge LaFleur on some of his less adept traits.

LaFleur is also reportedly looking outside the building for a quarterbacks coach. These changes show a true change in process for the veteran coach, something even his staunchest haters should appreciate.

New Packers WRs coach Noah Pauley was at @NDSUfootball from 2019-22, so he worked on the same staff for two years with Connor Senger, a candidate to be the Packers QBs coach.

— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) February 5, 2026

Noah Pauley is well respected in the league, and it was only a matter of time before an NFL team sought his services. He’s a big hire for the Packers and could tighten up an already good offense to the next tier.