The Green Bay Packers are on a two-game losing streak and are set to travel to play the New York Giants in Week 11. The biggest question mark around the Packers has been the lackluster offense; however, not even that can overshadow their recent defensive success.
Green Bay's recent wins on defense have led to defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley gaining a ton of steam in league circles, and this game against the Giants could be an audition for him. The Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll and named Mike Kafka as the interim coach, but they will have plenty of candidates to consider this offseason, with the Packers' DC potentially being high up on the list.
Packers-Giants Showdown Could Impact Jeff Hafley's Future
Hafley's name has been tossed into the Giants' potential candidates, as an NFL owner called ESPN's Adam Schefter, saying that he would be a great fit for the NFC East bottom feeders. Although Hafley is focused on the remainder of the 2025 season, he's someone who will be linked to the Giants, whether he wants it or not. Regardless, he's keeping his eye on the prize.
"I'm focused on beating the Giants," Haffley said when asked about the Giants' vacancy, per The Athletic's Matt Schneidman. While that might be true, the Packers' coordinator will have about 30 tickets for friends and family as he's a New Jersey native (h/t @ByRyanWood), so it's clear he's aware of what a homecoming would mean.
The Giants have some young pieces on the roster, but they will be in desperate need of a true leader. That's exactly what Hafley could bring to the table, and what he's done with the Packers defense this season is magnificent.
In his second season as defensive coordinator, Green Bay is seventh in scoring defense (19.6 points allowed per game), fifth in yards allowed per game (287.2), sixth in rushing yards allowed per game (91.8), 10th in passing yards allowed per game (195.4), and ninth in third-down defense (35.9% opponent conversion rate).
Last offseason, Hafley interviewed with the New York Jets, and one year later, it seems like he'll be another hot candidate in East Rutherford, NJ.
Another reason this could be an audition for Hafley, since this happened last season with Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears. In Week 16 of the 2024 season, the Detroit Lions traveled to Soldier Field and beat the Bears 34-17. In the win, Johnson pulled out a bag of tricks, which included his "Stumblebum" trick play. Jared Goff took the snap, faked a stumble, leading to Jahmyr Gibbs acting like he was jumping on the fumble while Sam LaPorta snuck behind the defense for a 21-yard touchdown.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles looked at the Lions' sideline and saw them celebrating. At that moment, he was certainly upset, but he took a step back and applauded the call. Poles said, via ESPN, "At the same time, I admired the creativity and execution of it."
That game certainly kept Johnson's name atop the Bears' wish list, and that could be the case for the Giants with Hafley. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out, especially if it impacts his outlook with the Packers.