The Green Bay Packers took care of one big offseason decision on Saturday, as they reportedly came to agreement on an extension for head coach Matt LaFleur despite the legitimate concerns around his ability to deliver a Super Bowl.
While LaFleur’s return is at the forefront of many Packers fans’ minds, the team is getting even closer to losing defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He is now one of the top head coaching candidates left on the market with John Harbaugh (New York Giants) and Kevin Stefanski (Atlanta Falcons) off the board.
Hafley has been linked to multiple teams thus far, but it seems as if there are two teams in the AFC battling for his services: the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. On Sunday, Albert Breer of SI.com reported that Hafley is scheduled for a second interview with Miami on Monday and will have another interview with the Titans on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Saturday that Hafley “is likely a finalist everywhere he’s interviewed” and mentioned that Miami “has targeted Hafley a key priority in its head coaching search.”
If this is the case, it's only a matter of time before Hafley gets hired, meaning the Packers need to have contingency plans in place.
Jeff Hafley on Verge of Leaving Green Bay for Head Coaching Job
Heading into this season, the Packers had an idea that Hafley could be a potential head coaching candidate, especially after he got an interview last year for the New York Jets’ vacancy.
The coaching buzz did not dissipate for the Packers’ defensive coordinator; instead, it went up after Green Bay acquired Micah Parsons before the season, and his unit began making some noise.
The thought for a long time was that Hafley would be in the running for the New York Giants’ head coaching gig. However, the Giants never interviewed the New Jersey native, and once John Harbaugh was thrown into the mix, New York set its sights on the long-time ex-Baltimore Ravens head coach.
That said, despite not getting any interview requests from New York, Hafley is still viewed as a commodity, with the Dolphins being the most ideal spot for him. The Dolphins just hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as their new GM this offseason after he spent 22 years in Green Bay, which sets the stage for Sullivan to start building a Packers South if Hafley comes over.
That said, if you’re part of the Packers’ brass, they should be working on putting together a list of potential defensive coordinator candidates with Hafley’s impending departure. Coaches such as Al Harris, who is with the Bears, or Christian Parker, who has spent the last two years with the Eagles, should be under consideration.
Green Bay can’t afford to miss out on a good candidate if and when Hafley departs; they have too much talent on that side of the ball to not be back in the mix in 2026.