Depending on who you ask, the offseason has not gotten off to a great start for the Green Bay Packers. According to social media, some fans wanted the Packers to move on from head coach Matt LaFleur after the disastrous playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, but Green Bay’s brass kept him.
The Packers also saw defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley leave for a head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins. The Packers replaced Hafley with Jonathan Gannon, which didn’t excite the fan base, especially with the other names out on the market like Jim Leonhard.
Meanwhile, when looking at the rest of the NFC North, things appear to be on the upswing. The Minnesota Vikings are bringing back defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Detroit Lions hired Drew Petzing to be their offensive coordinator, and now the Chicago Bears will be retaining a key member of their coaching staff.
On Monday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle withdrew his name from consideration for the Philadelphia Eagles OC role, opting to stay in the Windy City with Ben Johnson.
On the surface, this isn’t a move that’s going to have some Packers fans shaking in their boots, as they know Johnson calls the shots on offense. Doyle plays a key role in helping gameplan for the week and will only get better in his second season as an offensive coordinator.
Declan Doyle's Bears Return Isn't Ideal for Packers
This season, including the playoffs, the Packers had a dismal 1-2 record against the Bears. In the playoff loss at Soldier Field, the Packers’ defense allowed Chicago’s offense to score 25 points in the final quarter.
Green Bay’s defense held the Bears’ ground game in check (93 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries). But they had no answer for second-year QB Caleb Williams, who threw for 361 yards, two TDs, and a pair of interceptions
During the regular season against Green Bay, Williams completed 55.1% of his passes for 436 yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception. The Bears as a whole were ranked sixth in total yards per game (369.2).
Chicago isn’t going anywhere, no time soon, and now they’ll get to keep Doyle for at least one more season, which should worry the Packers. Green Bay hopes that Gannon can slow down Doyle and Johnson in 2026, but that could be a tall task, as it's been a while since he was a defensive coordinator.
The Packers need to hope that the Bears lose defensive backs coach Al Harris to a DC job, because if they don’t, Chicago will be a thorn in the side of Matt LaFleur and Co. for the foreseeable future.