Over the past week, it appeared the Green Bay Packers were conducting a thorough search to find their next defensive coordinator. Several names were thrown into the mix, including Raheem Morris, Daronte Jones, and Al Harris. At the same time, it also looked like the Packers weren’t rushing to decide until they could talk to Jim Leonhard.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said early in the weekend that Leonhard and the Packers had mutual interest in the defensive coordinator opening; however, they could not speak with Leonard until this week, as his Denver Broncos were playing in the AFC Championship Game.
As it turned out, the Packers went ahead and hired Jonathan Gannon as their new defensive coordinator on Sunday afternoon. But a few hours after the report by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero announcing Gannon’s hiring, the Broncos lost, making Leonhard available to talk to all teams in person for assistant coach openings.
It makes the Packers’ rush to hire Gannon look like a mistake, as it prevents them from getting the guy they may have actually wanted all along.
It Took 1 Day for the Packers to Regret Jonathan Gannon's Hiring
The Packers’ pursuit of Leonhard was a key storyline in the team’s search for a defensive coordinator. While it was unclear what exactly the NFL’s rules for hiring an assistant coach are, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky suggested last week that the Packers were “going to talk to Jim Leonhard before any decision is made.”
Cheesehead TV’s Aaron Nagler also stated that the NFL rules prohibit a team from talking to an assistant coach candidate in person during the bye week if their team made the Super Bowl, but could meet with that candidate via a remote interview. Whatever the process, the Packers would have only needed to wait one extra day to talk to Leonard.
The Broncos lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, but it was a perfect outing to build Leonhard’s case. While the offense was hamstrung by poor weather and the performance of backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, the defense did its job, holding New England to 206 total yards of offense.
It’s also worth noting that the Patriots’ lone touchdown came on a short field after a Stidham fumble in the second quarter and that Leonhard, who is the team's defensive passing game coordinator, held NFL MVP candidate Drake Maye to 86 yards passing.
That performance would have made Packers fans excited if the two sides met on Monday, but instead, they’re wondering what they have in Gannon.
While Gannon helped the Philadelphia Eagles reach the Super Bowl as a defensive coordinator in 2022, he also had an elite defensive line, including Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Milton Williams, and Fletcher Cox. It was also the lone season in Gannon’s five years as either a head coach or defensive coordinator where the defense ranked in scoring defense.
Demovsky suggested on Sunday that Gannon was drawing interest for the defensive coordinator jobs for the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants and that “if the Packers had waited any longer, they might have lost out on Gannon.” One could argue that it wouldn't have been a worst-case scenario, as they could focus their attention on Leonhard, who was the favorite to become Green Bay’s defensive coordinator in 2021 before turning them down.
Perhaps Gannon will exceed expectations and help Green Bay’s defense not skip a beat with Jeff Hafley’s departure. Conversely, the Packers clearly didn’t do their due diligence and now have to live with what could have happened if they had been just a little more patient.