Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is garnering interest for head coach openings.
The Green Bay Packers had a heartbreaking loss to the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round, sending them into the 2026 offseason. One major question for the Packers is: Will Jeff Hafley be back as their defensive coordinator?
Green Bay would love to have Hafley back, as he's done a tremendous job, but teams around the league are requesting to interview him for their head-coach openings.
The Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders are the latest of five teams to put in a request to interview Hafley, joining the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and Tennessee Titans.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said he “fully anticipates” Hafley getting a job as a head coach, and “We’ll make sure we have a good plan in place.”
Hafley would be a significant loss for the Packers, but there are plenty of question marks about the entire coaching staff, including LaFleur, after their playoff collapse.
Hafley has experience as a head coach, having served in that role at Boston College from 2020 to 2023.
He is among the top coordinators to receive interviews for head coaching positions, but there are many talented coaches on the market.
Former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski headline the options for teams.
There are eight openings, with the aforementioned Dolphins, Raiders, Cardinals, Falcons, and Titans, as well as the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens.
The Dolphins have the biggest connection to Hafley, as they hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as their general manager. Sullivan had been serving as the Packers' VP of Player Personnel. It could make sense for Sullivan to bring in a coach he is familiar with as they build their team in Miami.
However, the looming question of whether LaFleur will remain the Packers' head coach could change everything for Hafley. If Green Bay fires LaFleur, would they want Hafley to replace him? If not, and Hafley doesn't get a job elsewhere, will he stay as the Packers' defensive coordinator under a new head coach? Does he follow LaFleur if he gets another job?
The Packers didn't want to have these questions until later, but with their playoff collapse, the offseason is in full swing. Whether Hafley gets a head-coaching job or not is one of many storylines to monitor this offseason.