Fired Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon will get the chance to coach elite pass rusher Micah Parsons with the Green Bay Packers next season.
Gannon will reportedly replace newly hired Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley in Green Bay. Hafley’s unit ranked 11th in points allowed and 12th in yards allowed last season en route to a wild-card defeat to the rival Chicago Bears.
ESPN was the first to report the Gannon hire. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Packers for confirmation. Â
The 42-year-old Gannon is coming off a regrettable season in Arizona, where the Cardinals ranked among the worst defenses in football.Â
Interestingly, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s brother, Mike, is a candidate to replace Gannon with the Cardinals. Mike LaFleur, who is currently the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator, is considered the front-runner for the Cards job, SNY’s Connor Hughes has reported.
A Cleveland naïve who attended local football powerhouse Saint Ignatius, Gannon played safety at Louisville before embarking on a coaching career that included assistant positions in Atlanta, Tennessee, Minnesota, Indianapolis and Philadelphia, where he helped guide the Eagles to an NFC championship and Super Bowl berth over the 2022 season.
Fired Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon will get the chance to coach elite pass rusher Micah Parsons with the Green Bay Packers next season
Parsons’ 2025 campaign came to an abrupt end in December when he suffered a torn ACL and underwent season-ending knee surgery. He is expected to be back for the 2026 season
He went just 15-36 over three seasons in Arizona as quarterback Kyle Murray battled injury problems and some issues with consistency.
Gannon now takes over a unit led by Parsons, who was acquired from the Dallas Cowboys for two first-round picks and signed to a four-year, $188 million extension.
Parsons’ 2025 campaign came to an abrupt end in December when he suffered a torn ACL and underwent season-ending knee surgery. Despite this, he was still selected for the 2026 Pro Bowl.
Due to the trade, the Packers’ first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft won’t come until the No. 52 selection.Â
Green Bay is expected to target defensive backs and defensive tackles in the upcoming draft and free agency, although the team has virtually no salary-cap space without unloading or reworking major contracts.
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NFL head-coaching bust seals immediate return to the league as he signs deal with Green Bay Packers