The Green Bay Packers are on the hunt for a new defensive coordinator after Jeff Hafley left the franchise to lead the Miami Dolphins, and a recently fired head coach out of the NFC West is a frontrunner to succeed him.
Jonathan Gannon served as the Arizona Cardinals head coach for the past three seasons. Before that he spent two years running the defense of the Philadelphia Eagles. On Friday, January 23, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN named Gannon first on the list of candidates to become Green Bay’s next DC.
“Former Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon is one of the strongest coordinator options left and is firmly in the mix in Green Bay, though others are looking at him,” Fowler wrote.
Raheem Morris Remains Strong Candidate for Packers’ DC Job
GettyRaheem Morris, former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Fowler also mentioned two other names among his list of candidates for the Packers, which he and colleague Benjamin Solak dubbed the top open defensive coordinator vacancy remaining in the NFL.
“Packers coach Matt LaFleur has strong ties to former [Atlanta] Falcons coach Raheem Morris, who will have coordinator options if he doesn’t get the Arizona head coaching job,” Fowler continued. “Denver [Broncos] defensive pass-game coordinator Jim Leonhard is a name to watch, too. He played and coached at Wisconsin, and he was up for this job in 2021.”
Morris was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-11. He also served as DC for the Falcons and took over as the interim head coach partway through the 2020 campaign.
Morris joined Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive coordinator in 2021, winning a Super Bowl following that season. He stayed there two more years before earning the head coaching job in Atlanta, which he held in 2024 and 2025 before the Falcons fired him earlier this month.
Morris is 37-56 as a head coach in the NFL and has never taken a team to the playoffs. McVay and LaFleur came up through the league together, which makes Morris a natural fit in Green Bay if he doesn’t end up a head coach with the Cardinals.
Jeff Hafley Thanked Matt LaFleur, Packers Players After 2 Seasons in Green Bay
GettyMiami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley.
Hafley sent a heartfelt message to LaFleur during his introductory press conference with the Dolphins on Thursday.
“I want to thank Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers. The last two years have been two of the best of my life,” Hafley said. “[LaFleur is] a great football coach, he’s a great friend, and he’s going to have continued great success.”
Hafley then addressed his former defensive players in Green Bay.
“I also want to thank those players there. In two years, we got close. I mean, really close. The love, the connection, the support — it was hard to say goodbye to those guys,” Hafley continued. “But the phone calls and the texts to you guys meant everything to me. I love you, I wish you the best, other than when [the Dolphins] come to Lambeau next year.”
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