For years, the Green Bay Packers had a lot of talent on defense.
Unfortunately, that didn’t translate to success.
That’s why, after years of underperforming, they finally chose to part ways with Joe Barry at the end of the 2023 season.
They replaced him with former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley, and he turned the Packers’ defense around almost overnight.
With that in mind, it’s not much of a surprise to see that Matt LaFleur’s team is now among the best defensive teams in the league:
“Since the hiring of Jeff Hafley the Packers have held their opponents to less than 20 points 12 times. Best in the NFL in that span,” Morley posted on X.
Since the hiring of Jeff Hafley the Packers have held their opponents to less than 20 points 12 times.
Best in the NFL in that span. pic.twitter.com/RNuucAF970
— Jacob Morley (@JacobMorley) September 23, 2025
That’s despite parting ways with the often-injured Jaire Alexander, who was still a force when he was healthy.
Hafley has now added an elite piece to his already impressive puzzle.
Trading for Micah Parsons may have been the master move this team needed to get to the next level, and they now look like legitimate Super Bowl candidates.
They bolstered a pass rush unit that was good but not great, and he’s just settling in with his new team.
Hafley is now one of the assistant coaches to keep a close eye on.
And while the Packers would certainly love to keep him around for the long run, that’s the risk that comes with landing a good assistant coach.
Given his background as an assistant coach in the NFL and his previous head coaching experience in college, plus the outstanding job he’s done in Wisconsin, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him get his first NFL head coaching gig next season, or at least several interviews.
