Rich Bisaccia Returning to Packers Despite Special Teams’ Struggles

The Packers had some good moments on special teams this season but, overall, struggled in almost every phase under Rich Bisaccia.

Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is shown during a game in 2022. / Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Rich Bisaccia will return for a fourth season as the Green Bay Packers’ special teams coordinator.

According to Tom Silverstein of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bisaccia agreed to a contract extension. Bisaccia, who had been a candidate to become head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, was under contract through the 2025 season, and it is “believed” another year was tacked onto the deal.

Bisaccia inherited a special teams that ranked last in the NFL in 2021, according to Rick Gosselin’s extensive rankings.

In Bisaccia’s debut season, the Packers moved up to No. 22. Last year, however, they regressed to No. 29.

Gosselin has not published any rankings for 2024. However, broken down by key units, the Packers ranked:

- 19th in starting field position after a kickoff return. Two-time All-Pro Keisean Nixon’s longest kickoff return was for 43 yards. That was his only 40-yarder of the season as the NFL’s new kickoff rules did not positively impact that phase of the game.

- 2nd in opponent starting field position after a kickoff return. That was a tribute to the kickoff coverage, with kicker Brandon McManus having the third-lowest touchback percentage.

- 26th in net punting average. Daniel Whelan’s 46.1-yard gross average and 40.2-yard net average were the third-best in Packers history; his net took a hit when the Bears returned a punt for a touchdown in Week 18.

- 27th in opponent net punting average. Nixon’s 39-yard punt return against Arizona was the team’s only one of longer than 16 yards.

- 18th in field-goal percentage. McManus replaced Brayden Narveson and finished second in field-goal percentage.

McManus was a savior on special teams – his miss in the playoff loss against Philadelphia notwithstanding. He hit two game-winners and made all his extra points. Plus, Karl Brooks’ blocked field goal saved the Packers at Chicago.

However, Bisaccia said there was miscommunication between he and Nixon when Nixon returned a kickoff from 8 yards deep in the final seconds of the loss to the Eagles in Brazil. Nixon’s controversial fumble of the opening kickoff return against the Eagles in the playoffs put the team in a 7-0 hole.

In Week 18 against the Bears, Whelan punted the ball to the left, which was the play call. The coverage unit, however, was suckered by the presence of Bears receiver D.J. Moore to the right.

Josh Blackwell, instead, returned the ball 94 yards for a touchdown.

“We weren’t sure who we’re going to see,” Bisaccia said when asked if Moore’s presence should have tipped off the players. “We weren’t sure who we were going to see on the kickoff return, either. But we’d love for that to have been an indicator for us. It was a left call, but that guy took off fast, which should have been an indicator for us, as well.

“Again, I can give you 100 different reasons, but the reality of it is, I did not really cover that with them in this particular week or in the previous four weeks. Cover when the guy sloughs off in the double team out there; he’s the guy that could possibly catch it. So, really, that’s on me. I did not do a good job preparing them for that.”

Also, former quarterbacks coach and passing-game coordinator Luke Getsy, who had been the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 2022 and 2023 and for the Las Vegas Raiders for part of 2024, has been brought back as a senior offensive assistant, according to Silverstein.

Getsy could have returned as quarterbacks coach to fill the void created by Tom Clements’ retirement. That he did not would seem to indicate LaFleur will promote assistant quarterbacks coach Connor Lewis or former NFL quarterback Sean Mannion to that role.

That makes sense; Getsy has no history with Jordan Love as a starting quarterback.

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