The Green Bay Packers’ search for a defensive coordinator has turned into a waiting game. After losing Jeff Hafley to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the week, the team has interviewed Minnesota Vikings passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones, Chicago Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris, and former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon for the position.
While fans are waiting for white smoke to billow from Lambeau Field (or maybe just some 2-for-1s in the Atrium), it appears that the folks inside the stadium are willing to wait a little longer.
During an appearance on ESPN Milwaukee’s Wilde and Tauch show, ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky noted that Matt LaFleur is “going to talk to a lot of guys” to find his next defensive coordinator and doesn’t “think anything happens until he can talk to Jim Leonhard.”
“I think Jim Leonhard is on his list. He obviously can’t talk to him,” Demovsky said. “...Long story short, they’re going to talk to Jim Leonhard before any decision is made.”
That answer may annoy Packers fans waiting for changes to LaFleur’s staff after a disappointing end to the 2025 season. But that patience may pay off as the Packers are just one of several teams looking to fill their defensive coordinator opening.
Packers’ DC Plan Hinges on a Risky Waiting Game with Jim Leonhard
Demovsky admitted there are several candidates in the running for the Packers’ defensive coordinator job. Gannon, Harris, and Jones are the three known names who interviewed for the job this week after Hafley’s departure became official. However, there’s still a lot up in the air as former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris could become a candidate for the job, depending on what he wants to do in 2026.
But the key figure in this decision at the moment is Leonhard, who was a former target of LaFleur’s when he looked to fill the defensive coordinator position after Mike Pettine’s departure following the 2020 season and was rumored to be the top candidate to take the job. But Leonhard was coaching at the University of Wisconsin at the time and cited “unfinished business” with his alma mater.
That loyalty went down the drain when the Badgers chose Luke Fickell to replace the fired Paul Chryst following the 2022 season, and Leonhard spent a year as a senior football analyst under Bret Bielema at Illinois before joining Sean Payton’s staff in Denver for the 2024 season.
Demovsky said that Leonhard and LaFleur had “no hard feelings” after previously turning down the Packers, but the one hangup is confusion on the NFL’s rules on when they can talk to him.
Demovsky said during his radio appearance that NFL head coaching candidates can talk to teams in the week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl if their team is involved, but the rules are different for assistants. While Demovsky was looking for further clarification, Aaron Nagler of Cheesehead TV said that teams can have remote interviews with assistant coach candidates during that week but can't hold in-person interviews until the team has been eliminated.
Whatever the rules allow, Leonhard could be worth the wait. Other teams are moving quickly to fill their defensive coordinator roles. While the Los Angeles Chargers added another team to the market with Jesse Minter’s agreement to become head coach of the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, the Chargers have already scheduled an interview with former Ravens DC Chris Orr, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Other teams, such as the New York Jets, Washington Commanders, and Tennessee Titans, are also looking to fill a defensive coordinator position. But they may not be willing to wait out the Leonhard situation as the Packers are, perhaps making their patience an advantage.
Teams that have waited out the Super Bowl have found success in the head coaching ranks as Kevin O’Connell joined the Vikings after winning the title with the Los Angeles Rams in early 2022 and Kellen Moore was hired by the New Orleans Saints last winter. While the Eagles wound up firing Moore’s replacement, Kevin Patullo, after one season, the Packers are diving into a much deeper talent pool with 10 head coaching changes in this year’s hiring cycle.
If that leads them to the guy LaFleur wanted four years ago, it’s possible they would take that risk and perhaps tab Leonhard as their top choice to replace Hafley in Green Bay.