The Green Bay Packers suffered a big loss when Jeff Hafley agreed to become head coach of the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. After two seasons in Green Bay, Hafley became one of the top head coaching candidates in the NFL and his departure was expected after former Vice President of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan was named the general manager in Miami.
The news still stung for Packer fans, however, as Hafley transformed a defense that struggled under Joe Barry into a top 10 unit before injuries to Micah Parsons and Edgerrin Cooper last season. While Green Bay is sad to see Hafley go, there is a much different reaction in Miami.
Dolphins fans are upset by the move after Miami fired Mike McDaniel weeks ago and bigger names with more experience were on the market. With a sense of their team turning into “Green Bay South,” Miami isn’t exactly welcoming Hafley with open arms, giving him a lot of work to do with his new team.
Jeff Hafley’s Hiring Is Not Being Received Well By Dolphins Fans
The picture was painted by Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote on Monday night. Cote noted that the Dolphins had a chance to reel in some bigger fish as former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh were all available during the hiring process. He also pointed out that Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who is the grandson of legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula, was the betting favorite to land the job thanks to his roots but the Dolphins “sights were locked in on Hafley.”
The most notable thing was Miami’s tendency to hire first-time head coaches. The Dolphins have not hired a head coach that has been in the position previously since Dave Wannstedt was hired in 2000. Coincidentally, that was the last time Miami won a playoff game with their four playoff appearances since that season ending in the Wild Card round including two under McDaniel.
Hafley’s past has also been brought into the argument. Before coming to Green Bay, Hafley was the head coach at Boston College, posting a record of 22-26 in four seasons, but it was how he left that gave Dolphins fans a red flag, telling reporters that a head coach in college is “pulled in so many different directions” likely referring to name, image and likeness (NIL) agreements, the transfer portal and other aspects of college football.
“It got to the point where I said, ‘I don’t want to do this,’” Hafley said in a story written by Greg Auman of FOX Sports in October. “I had stopped coaching. I was doing a job that wasn’t what I’d always dreamt to do.”
There’s also the outside opinion of what happened with Hafley during his time in Green Bay. While he was able to help the Packers finish fifth in total yards and sixth in scoring defense in 2024, his numbers slumped to 12th in total yards and 11th in scoring defense this season. There were also other alarming numbers presented by Matt Infante of Pro Football Sports Network, including ranking 23rd in points allowed per drive, 20th in yards allowed per drive, 22nd in EPA per play and 25th in turnover rate.
But more than anything, the Hafley hire may be a signal of how the rest of the league views the Packers right now. The Packers haven’t won a Super Bowl since 2010 and haven’t been to a conference championship since 2020. While they’ve made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, they’ve been the No. 7 seed in all three trips. While NFL Network’s Judy Batista noted that the Dolphins would benefit from a physical approach, fans in Green Bay have referred to the current culture under Matt LaFleur as “soft” and needing a shift after he signed a contract extension earlier this week.
With players like quarterback Malik Willis and pass rusher Kingsley Enagbare possibly the next Packers on their way to Miami, fans of a franchise that has been to the playoffs just five times since their last playoff win may look at trying to be the Packers as a bad omen. But Packers fans know what Hafley can do and it’s now on him to change the opinion of his new fan base.