Barring a miraculous turnaround by the defense in the next half-dozen games, Matt LaFleur will almost certainly fire coordinator Joe Barry in January. And then the fourth-year head coach, who’s already shitcanned four assistants, will look to hire somebody proven and well-respected to take over a talented group that has vastly underperformed this season.
In a similar situation 10 months ago, LaFleur tabbed Rich Bisaccia to take over a special teams unit that was a disaster under Maurice Drayton. Whether he’ll be able to find a similarly qualified person to handle the defense remains to be seen.
The following is a list of potential candidates to be the Packers’ next defensive coordinator. Some on this list won’t be available, while others not on this list will surprisingly become free. But as of today, here’s a sneak peek at ten of the possibilities (the order is from those deemed most likely to be on the open market in January to those considered least likely):
VIC FANGIO
Current status: After being fired as Denver’s coach last January, he’s a consultant with the Eagles.
Analysis: In early January, the cantankerous 64-year-old will be the white whale for every team in search of a defensive coordinator. Assuming he wants to coach again, it’s difficult to imagine LaFleur not being very interested. After all, who better to run the Vic Fangio system than the man himself? Remember, Barry was hired in 2021 mainly because he spent the prior season learning the scheme under Brandon Staley with the Rams.
BRIAN FLORES
Current status: After being fired as Miami’s coach last January, he’s a defensive assistant with Pittsburgh.
Analysis: The 41-year-old has never actually been a coordinator, but he’s learned under two premier defensive minds (Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin). He’s also suing the league over its hiring practices, so it remains to be seen if Mark Murphy – a staunch defender of the shield – would even give the OK to hire Flores. On the other hand, he reportedly impressed the Packers when he interviewed to replace Mike McCarthy in 2019.
MIKE ZIMMER
Current status: After being fired as Minnesota’s coach last January, he’s an analyst at Jackson State.
Analysis: It’s easy to forget the 66-year-old was a good defensive coordinator in Cincinnati for six seasons. Whether Zimmer has any interest in returning to that job remains to be seen, but he doesn’t appear ready to call it a career. He spent the past few months helping out Deion Sanders, whom he coached in Dallas from 1995 to 1999. While Zimmer might not be at the top of LaFleur’s list of candidates, he’s definitely worth considering.
SEAN DESAI
Current status: After not being retained by Chicago last January, he’s a defensive assistant with Seattle.
Analysis: The 39-year-old wasn’t retained after Matt Eberflus was hired last January, but his one season running the defense in Chicago showed real potential. Desai is extremely bright and very creative when it comes to getting pressure on the quarterback. He’s currently serving as associate head coach and defensive assistant under Pete Carroll and will undoubtedly get another chance as a coordinator in the next year or two.
STEVE WILKS
Current status: He’s the interim head coach in Carolina after taking over for Matt Rhule in October.
Analysis: The 53-year-old has been a defensive coordinator for only two seasons (Cleveland in 2017 and Carolina in 2019), and while he didn’t produce great results either time, he’s earned a solid reputation as somebody effective at motivating and making adjustments. Both of those traits would be breaths of fresh air in Green Bay. But does Wilks have an impressive enough resume to sell to a fan base that’s rightfully livid over Barry?
VANCE JOSEPH
Current status: He’s in his fourth season as Arizona’s defensive coordinator under coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Analysis: The 50-year-old is very similar to Wilks. He’s been a head coach before, and unless the Cardinals make the playoffs, he figures to be available after the season. Joseph is also well-thought of around the league. And while he’s done reasonably well in the desert, his best work was with Miami in 2016. Here’s something else to consider – would LaFleur be willing to hire a defensive coordinator from a staff that was just fired?
PATRICK GRAHAM
Current status: He’s in his first season as Las Vegas’ defensive coordinator under coach Josh McDaniels.
Analysis: The 43-year-old probably won’t be available unless McDaniels is fired after only one season or decides to throw Graham overboard to save his job. The former Packers assistant did solid work as a defensive coordinator with the Dolphins (2019) and the Giants (2020 and 2021), but things haven’t gone nearly as well in Vegas. Despite having a bunch of high-priced pass rushers, the defense has recorded only 13 sacks all season.
GUS BRADLEY
Current status: He’s in his first season as Indy’s defensive coordinator under interim coach Jeff Saturday.
Analysis: The 56-year-old would be very highly coveted should he become available, but that’s a big if. Bradley, the head coach in Jacksonville for four disappointing seasons, had his greatest success as the leader of the vaunted Legion of Boom defense in Seattle from 2009 to 2012. He worked with and then for Bisaccia in Las Vegas in 2021, which could help recruit him to Green Bay in the unlikely event he hits the open market in January.
EVERO EJIRO
Current status: He’s in his first season as Denver’s defensive coordinator under coach Nathaniel Hackett.
Analysis: Forget all the losses and the crappy playcalling, LaFleur’s biggest failure this year came when he chose Barry over Ejiro in February. The 41-year-old former Packers assistant has gone on to do terrific work in Denver. It’s doubtful he becomes available, even if Hackett is shitcanned after only one season. Ejiro was considered a future head coach even before leading the Broncos to the No. 3 spot in yards and points allowed.
JIM LEONHARD
Current status: He’s the interim head coach at Wisconsin after taking over for Paul Chryst in October.
Analysis: Imagine how different things might’ve been had the 40-year-old accepted LaFleur’s offer to be the Packers’ defensive coordinator last February. Instead, Leonhard decided to stay at his alma mater, where he’s gone 4-2 since being promoted. It’s hard to see this gig not becoming permanent, but if, for some reason, the Badgers go in a different direction, LaFleur would almost certainly make another serious run at Leonhard.
One final thing on the next defensive coordinator, whoever that might be. He needs to be able to hire his own position coaches, even if that means paying off a bunch of salaries. It was absurd that Barry kept his predecessor’s entire staff. The clear implication being Mike Pettine was solely responsible for all the problems, and as we found out, that wasn’t the case.
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It’s amazing to me that GB seems to always go cheap on assistant coaches despite the fact that there’s no salary cap for those spots. Why not get the best people when you can? It’s not like $ is a major issue.
The Packers finally ponied up to get Bisaccia, and they’ll probably have to do it again to replace Barry. You get the sense Murphy doesn’t want to pay for assistants unless he has no choice. Watching special teams end the 2021 season left him no choice.
Don’t care about the name or experience, just let it be a coach who will play an aggressive ,hard working, crisp tackling, and alert defense. Gutey also needs to do a better job drafting players that fit the mold or who take to that kind of coaching. We don’t need anymore players shying away from contact or just throwing a shoulder.
I agree w/ your assessment that GB always seems too cheap it out-Quality costs and championship teams almost always pay for quality help! I still think back to GB’s team in 96 and how many quality coaches Holmgren had.