Packers Hire Former Cardinals Coach Jonathan Gannon As Defensive Coordinator

Gannon will replace Jeff Hafley, who left the role to take the Dolphins head coach position.

The Packers are hiring former Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon as their new defensive coordinator. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Packers were in need of a new defensive coordinator since Jeff Hafley moved on to take the Dolphins head coach job last week, and Green Bay found its answer on Sunday.

Matt LaFleur is adding former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon to his staff as the Packers’ new defensive coordinator, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday. The team interviewed Gannon on Friday after showing interest in a few other candidates.

It was reported that LaFleur was most interested in hiring Broncos assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard for the role, but ultimately the team seemingly didn’t want to wait on Leonhard, as Denver is still in the playoffs, and pass up on other candidates.

Gannon was fired by Arizona on NFL’s Black Monday earlier this month. The Cardinals posted a 3–14 record in his third season in Arizona and he finished with a 15–36 overall record in his tenure there.

Before taking the Cardinals head coach position, Gannon worked as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator from 2021–22, so this won’t be his first experience in the DC role.

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