{"id":710052,"date":"2026-01-27T23:30:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T23:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/710052\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T23:30:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T23:30:21","slug":"lafleur-opts-for-head-coaching-experience-with-jonathan-gannon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/710052\/","title":{"rendered":"LaFleur Opts For Head Coaching Experience With Jonathan Gannon"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Jeff Hafley heading to<\/a> the Sunshine State, the Green Bay Packers quickly filled their open defensive coordinator spot with former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.<\/p>\n

While there was reported interest<\/a> from the Packers in Wisconsinite Jim Leonhard, who\u2019s currently the defensive passing-game coordinator with the Denver Broncos, Green Bay quickly made its move before Leonard\u2019s team was eliminated from the playoffs.<\/p>\n

With reported interest<\/a> from at least both Harbaugh brothers, Gannon\u2019s combination of success as a defensive coordinator, experience as a head coach, and scheme-agnostic approach<\/a> made him a hot candidate.<\/p>\n

While his tenure in Arizona wasn\u2019t sexy, that experience of simply being in the head coach\u2019s seat gave Gannon an edge over other candidates. Since joining the Packers, Matt LaFleur has shown a preference toward defensive coordinators with experience. LaFleur oversees the entire team, but likes a coordinator who can act as the \u201chead coach\u201d of the defense.<\/p>\n

With the Super Bowl window open and the blockbuster acquisition<\/a> of Micah Parsons<\/a>, the Packers need a defense that can win now. Jonathan Gannon is likely the most important hire<\/a> of LaFleur\u2019s career. Based on what we\u2019ve seen from LaFleur, Gannon\u2019s head coaching background tipped the scales in his favor.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Gannon was not a good head coach. But he became a head coach because he was a good defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Wendell Ferreira (@wendellfp) January 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

When LaFleur was just a baby (head coach), he retained Mike McCarthy\u2019s defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine. Pettine was the former Cleveland Browns head coach, with a solid background as a defensive coordinator. For a first-time head coach, Pettine was an ideal confidante. Pettine had the experience leading a defense, but his head coaching background gave him insight into everything else a head coach might encounter.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve seen countless times, being a head coach means more than just being good on your side of the ball. Therefore, a good coordinator doesn\u2019t always \u2014 or even often \u2014 make a good head coach. Having Pettine in the room meant LaFleur had someone with experience in those differences. LaFleur could rely on Pettine to oversee the defense and confide in him as he grew into the role, while LaFleur focused most of his attention on developing the offense.<\/p>\n

Pettine\u2019s defense faltered in the postseason, and the Packers didn\u2019t renew his contract. Still, LaFleur clearly sought many of Pettine\u2019s qualities in his coordinators.<\/p>\n

His next hire was Joe Barry, who didn\u2019t have head-coaching experience but had served as a defensive coordinator and worked in various schemes. LaFleur thought<\/a> Barry could once again be a \u201chead coach\u201d of the defense. Barry obviously didn\u2019t work out long-term, and LaFleur opted for head-coaching experience this time.<\/p>\n

Jeff Hafley isn\u2019t a former NFL head coach; Miami is his first head coaching job. Still, he was the leader at Boston College and thus had experience beyond his specialty. That head-coaching experience was part of what made Hafley a respected coordinator during his two-year stint with the Packers.<\/p>\n

Because a head coach is responsible for the whole team, he has better insight into the offense and special teams. In the same way LaFleur has gotten other former coaches, like Nathaniel Hackett and Robert Saleh, to talk to the other side of their specialty, Hafley had a deeper perspective on teambuilding and a different approach to viewing the offense from a defensive perspective.<\/p>\n

The best coaches are also the best teachers, and Hafley has an excellent teacher<\/a>. Every press conference was enlightening, and players lauded his communication style. That also meant he could work more effectively with other coordinators and staff. It\u2019s just one reason he earned a head coaching gig this cycle.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Gannon had losing record in 3 season as Cardinals HC. Before that, he was DC in Super Bowl with Philly. Before that, multiple NFL stops as DBs coach.<\/p>\n

Sound familiar?<\/p>\n

Jeff Hafley had losing record in 4 seasons at Boston College. Before that, co-DC at Ohio State. Before\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) January 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Packers gave<\/a> LaFleur a contract extension, but the pressure is on thanks to the acquisition of Parsons and Jordan Love<\/a>\u2018s place as one of the league\u2019s top playmakers. Oddly, LaFleur is now one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the NFC, so he doesn\u2019t need to lean on a former head coach as he did with Pettine.<\/p>\n

Both those traits are still valuable, and LaFleur needs a coordinator who can help the Packers get to the Super Bowl now (now as in, like, a year away), not someone who needs to grow into the role.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Gannon led the league\u2019s best defense in 2022, and the unit took a massive step back without him. We know that, as a coordinator, Gannon can lead a Super Bowl-caliber defense; he\u2019s done it.<\/p>\n

But even though Gannon\u2019s 15-36 head coaching record isn\u2019t fantastic, the fact that he survived being a head coach for three years means he\u2019s seen some stuff. He can serve as the defense\u2019s head coach while pushing LaFleur to grow further and offering more advice on areas LaFleur struggles with, such as time management.<\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t heard from Gannon in a Packers outfit yet, but the league is high on the hiring. Those familiar with Gannon praise his adaptability, attention to detail, and unpredictability. Green Bay has recently struggled with a lack of discipline on both sides of the ball and players being in the wrong spots.<\/p>\n

Those skills made him a great defensive coordinator in Philadelphia, and he should further develop them during his time with a head coach.<\/p>\n

this is the most important thing, IMO<\/p>\n

play to the strengths of your players <\/p>\n

it’s honestly something Hafley struggled with at the end <\/p>\n

hopefully Gannon is a little more realistic in self-scout https:\/\/t.co\/NdnqqrB5Dq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) January 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Matt LaFleur had to get his defensive coordinator hire right, and we won\u2019t know how it all works out for a few years. Still, it\u2019s easy to see what LaFleur learned from his previous coordinators and what he sought in his new one.<\/p>\n

Hiring a defensive coordinator coming off a failed stint as head coach doesn\u2019t always impress fans. But simply by virtue of being a head coach, Jonathan Gannon knows more about the entire operation of a football team. LaFleur can lean on that experience and grow himself from working with another former head coach.<\/p>\n

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