Before the regular season began, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley saw his name pop up in the coaching carousel as he interviewed for the New York Jets’ head coaching vacancy, which went to Aaron Glenn.
It wasn’t a surprise to see Hafley’s name in the mix at the time, as he did an outstanding job in his first year calling the shots for Green Bay’s defense. Fast forward to the end of December, and that momentum hasn’t gone away for the second-year defensive coordinator, who has seen his name thrown around for various job openings across the league.
One job in particular that Hafley has been connected to is the New York Giants, who fired Brian Daboll in November. However, he wasn’t the only candidate being mentioned for the Giants’ job, as Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman emerged as a possibility.
But on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Freeman plans to stay at Notre Dame for the 2026 season. With Freeman off the board, it re-opens the door for the Giants to make a full-court press for the Packers’ defensive coordinator.
Giants Can Zero In on Jeff Hafley with Marcus Freeman off the Board
If you’re Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, it would be tough losing Hafley, especially seeing what he’s done with his defense in two years. Now, things have slightly gone off track due to injuries and inconsistent play this season from the Packers’ defense, but that isn’t stopping Hafley from being mentioned in head coach conversations.
As the seventh seed in the playoffs, the Packers aren’t guaranteed to make it far, so we could hear about Hafley taking interviews in the immediate future. Hafley seems like the perfect fit for the Giants, who could use a defensive-minded head coach to bolster that unit.
Not to mention, the 46-year-old coordinator from the area, as he’s a New Jersey native, and is very familiar with the expectations of the fanbase. The Giants’ brass got an up-close look at the Packers’ defensive coordinator earlier this season, when Green Bay faced New York in Week 11.
The Packers won the game, 27-20. It wasn’t the best showing by Green Bay’s defense, as they allowed 142 rushing yards and three TDs on the ground. However, Hafley taking over a Giants’ defense, which already has some pieces at its disposal, could be intriguing for the defensive coordinator.
Now, he’ll have to fill out the rest of his coaching staff if that comes to fruition, which could be another challenge for LaFleur. Nonetheless, neither the Packers nor Hafley can worry about this, as they still have games to play this season.
Green Bay is looking to end the regular season on a high note with a win against the Minnesota Vikings and hopefully make some noise in the playoffs.