New Packers Receivers Coach Got Christian Watson’s Seal of Approval

Noah Pauley, a touted assistant coach who grew up a Packers fan, reportedly has returned to Green Bay as receivers coach.

Iowa State's wide receiver coach Noah Pauley talks to media on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. Pauley is the Packers' new receivers coach. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will have a new receivers coach in 2026.

Christian Watson will not.

According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, the Packers have hired Noah Pauley.

The #Packers are hiring Penn State’s Noah Pauley as wide receivers coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

Rising star who interviewed for the 49ers OC job last year. Has developed future top three round draft picks like Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and current Packer Christian Watson. pic.twitter.com/tHdMLIwZD6

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 5, 2026

Pauley is replacing Ryan Mahaffey, who is the new run-game coordinator and tight ends coach for the Philadelphia Eagles under their new offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion.

Experience With Christian Watson

Recently hired by Penn State after spending the past three seasons at Iowa State – he was introduced for the job on Wednesday – Pauley was the receivers coach at North Dakota State from 2019 through 2022. 

Pauley, a Minnesota native who grew up a Packers fan, helped develop Watson into a second-round pick in the 2022 draft.

“I definitely leaned on Shep,” Watson said of former North Dakota State and Packers receiver Darius Shepherd said before the 2021 FCS national championship game. “The guy that Shep is, he’s not going to let anyone just get swept underneath the rug. He was dragging us along.

“Coach Pauley, now that I’ve been with him for a few years, the amount of effort and dedication he puts into the program and the receiver group, I think it’s really shown in terms of my success and other receivers’ success. ... I can’t thank Coach Pauley enough for what he’s done to help me develop as a man, a player, a leader on this football team."

In 2023, Pauley was named receivers coach at Iowa State. He added passing-game coordinator to his title for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Pauley played a key role in Jayden Higgins being a second-round pick and Jaylin Noel a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

“From the day he stepped in and watched film with me and talked over my game, there were so many tips he gave me,” Noel told Penn Live. “It started off with the simple things like footwork at the line of scrimmage, being able to have a multitude of releases, things like that. His football IQ, having played the position and how smart he is, elevated how I watched film and studied.”

Noel praised Pauley for more than his football acumen.

“He’s a connector of people,” Noel said. “He knows how to communicate with guys. He’s a competitor as a coach and always wants to see a competitive edge from his players. And my favorite part about his coaching style is the freedom he gives a receiver to grow. He gives you the base fundamentals. And from there, he wants to see you grow into your own player.”

Another Chance in NFL

After the 2024 season, Pauley interviewed to be offensive coordinator of the 49ers.

“It was a cool experience,” Pauley told the Des Moines Register. “When people want to talk to you and have conversations and talk about football, it’s always exciting. 

“You sit down and you have a Zoom call with (49ers coach) Kyle Shanahan and (general manager) John Lynch – it’s something you don’t take lightly.” 

When Penn State hired coach Matt Campbell away from ISU at the end of the 2025 season, Pauley followed him to be the Nittany Lions’ receivers coach.

“I think stuff like that is why you get in the profession,” Pauley said on Wednesday if rebuilding the Nittany Lions’ receiver room. "If you’re not going to be able to play it, find a way to challenge yourself and be competitive. But looking for just competitive guys that want to win, but at the same point in time, want to do it the right way and bring the right guys into it. We’ve had a lot of success with maybe less talent, but they all wanted to win, and they knew how to win and the process to go win.”

Pauley is a native of Duluth, Minn., who played college football Minnesota-Duluth and was part of UMD’s two Division II national championship teams. He stayed at the school as a student assistant in 2011 and moved up to offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the 2016 through 2018 seasons.

From there, he landed at North Dakota State as receivers coach for the FCS juggernaut for four years. Watson was his prized pupil.

“I believe that kid could play at any school in the country," Pauley told Packers.com after the draft. "If his goal was to go catch 100 footballs, he would’ve been gone. He knew he may have to block 40 times in a game and maybe he’d get three-to-seven touches a game and what he did with those touches was up to him. I think that shows a ton of loyalty, a high-character kid."

In 2022, Pauley worked with Watson and the receivers as part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

“It’s been cool just seeing him around here,” Wattson said at the time. “Obviously, I have a really great relationship with him and a good connection with him. Him being able to have this opportunity for himself, but also to learn and grow with me as I take this next step, it’s been great.”

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