When the Green Bay Packers saw defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley leave to become the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins, fans were hoping that Matt LaFleur and Co. would hit a home run with his replacement.
Names such as Christian Parker, Jim Leonhard, Daronte Jones, and Al Harris immediately caught the attention of the fan base as coordinator options who would be terrific choices to help build off what Hafley did over two seasons.
However, the Packers decided not to go with any of those guys and instead landed on former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon. Gannon was fired by the Cardinals earlier this month after a tumultuous three years as their head coach.
The decision to hire Gannon immediately did not sit well with fans. That said, Green Bay’s brass hopes Gannon can revert to what he did during his two-year stint as the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator, where his unit recorded 70 sacks in 2022 en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
It’s a huge gamble Matt LaFleur is taking on with Gannon, and one that could easily age poorly given the circumstances.
Jonathan Gannon Hire Unveils Bleak Reality on Packers' DC Search
The Packers could’ve avoided settling for Gannon if they moved faster on Parker, who landed in Dallas as their defensive coordinator. Gannon was also in the running for the Cowboys’ DC opening, but they felt the rising star in Parker was the better choice, which speaks volumes about their thoughts on the man Green Bay has tapped as its new coordinator.
The Packers also could’ve waited for Leonard, who is still in the playoffs with the Denver Broncos but could be eliminated on Sunday, as it was reported that there was mutual interest between the two sides.
Leonhard is a rising assistant coach with a ton to like. Not only is he part of the staff overseeing one of the league's top defenses and in the middle of a deep playoff run, but he's got strong Wisconsin roots given it's his home state and he spent several years as the Badgers' defensive leader. Leonhard would've been extremely motivated to make Green Bay's trust in him pay off, and his more than a decade of NFL experience as a player only adds to his massive appeal.
Then there’s Al Harris, who is a Packers Hall of Famer and has become one of the best DB coaches in the league. With what he was able to do in Chicago this season, getting an injured and flawed Bears secondary to be tops in the league in interceptions, it's only a matter of time before he snags a coordinator job.
There’s simply no way these guys would have passed on the opportunity to coach all the talent the Packers boast on the defensive side, so it raises major concerns about Green Bay's search process. Either there wasn't enough preparedness despite Hafley being a known flight risk, or they jumped the gun and agreed to hire a guy who easily could've been available weeks from now if they just exercised some patience.
Instead, LaFleur wanted the guy whom the Cowboys passed on, who struggled as a head coach in Arizona, and his lasting memory as a defensive coordinator was losing in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs -- a defeat which he admitted he was responsible for and was followed by a tampering investigation that showed Gannon broke NFL rules in the lead up to the game, leading to accusations from Eagles fans that he was mentally checked out despite Philly having a championship to play for.
Needless to say, it isn't difficult to see Gannon not working out while someone like Harris or Leonhard goes on to make another team very happy.