Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers begin their search for a new defense coordinator.
Mike Pettine, who served one year under Mike McCarthy and two more under LaFleur, was let go by the Packers after the 2020 season.
LaFleur has internal candidates and potential outside appointments to consider.
Here is a list of 15 potential candidates to replace Pettine in Green Bay:
1 Jerry Gray
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The Packers defense coach is highly respected among players and has previous NFL experience as a defense coordinator. He spent five years as a defense coordinator in Buffalo (2001-05) and three more in Tennessee (2011-13), and he worked six years directly under Mike Zimmer in Minnesota (2014-19). LaFleur hired him to take over the secondary series in 2020, and Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos all had the best seasons for their careers.
2 Mike Smith
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The Packers linebackers may be ready to lead the defense. A former Baltimore player and three years assistant coach in Kansas City, Smith joined the Packers in 2019, helping to revolutionize the team’s randrusher squad. Za’Darius Smith is a Pro Bowler and All-Pro, while Rashan Gary looks like a future star. Can Smith, even if he was a Pettine disciple, have overall fresh ideas for the defense?
3 Wade Phillips
1 Dec 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams defense coordinator Wade Phillips vs. Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas USA TODAY Sports
Like Pettine, Phillips is a former head coach who can be trusted with full control of the defense, and he is a former Super Bowl winner as defense coordinator at the Denver Broncos. LaFleur also teamed up with Phillips in Los Angeles in 2017. With elite talent, Phillips has the necessary background to turn the Packers defense into a championship outfit.
4 Kris Richard
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His background in the Dan Quinn defense style can be very appealing to LaFleur, who worked under Quinn in Atlanta and respects the former Falcons chief. When the defense coordinator was in Seattle, Richard’s points defense had been in the top half of the NFL for three years, including two top-five finishes.
5 Jerod Mayo
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A Super Bowl winner and a defensive captain for the Patriots, Mayo successfully transitioned into coaching, leading the last two seasons of New England’s linebackers. He is a rising star in the coaching ranks. With aspirations for head coaching, the next step could be the chance to coordinate a defense like Green Bay.
6 Marvin Lewis
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis smiles in the first quarter along the sideline against the Baltimore Ravens.
The longtime Ravens defense coordinator and Bengals head coach has been with Herm Edwards in the state of Arizona for the past two years. Would he want to return to the NFL as a coordinator for a Super Bowl candidate? The Packers could provide the right opportunity.
7 James Bettcher
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Bettcher coordinated defenses in Arizona (2015-17) and New York (2018-19). His defense was statistically not great at the Giants, but his attacking style was a big hit at the Cardinals. The 49ers have just appointed him to a senior role, but it is possible that Kyle Shanahan could let him go if he gets a chance to lead the defense in Green Bay.
8 Stephen Belichick
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Bill’s son has coached just about every position group for the Patriots over the past decade, giving him the profile of a coordinator candidate. The Belichick coaching tree has not always produced outside of New England, but perhaps the family tree can. Being a coordinator seems like an appropriate next step if he wants to become a head coach, though leaving the Patriots may not be an attractive option.
9 Kris Kocurek
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He coached great defensive lines in Detroit and San Francisco. His work under Robert Saleh, one of LaFleur’s closest friends, may be essential to the search. LaFleur might want a defense scheme based on Saleh’s concepts, and Kocurek was probably waiting for a chance to be a coordinator.
10 Teryl Austin
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Although he was never head coach, Austin was the coordinator of some good Lions defenses between 2014 and 2018. His one year as coordinator in Cincinnati ended badly. He has been a leading assistant for the Steelers defense for the past two seasons and may be ready to return to the defense.
11 Jim Leonhard
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No list would be complete without Leonhard, another Pettine disciple who has led the dominant defense in Wisconsin, Madison since 2017. He has an NFL experience, and while hiring a college coach, he always carries risks, the college game is regularly in the NFL and Leonhard’s defense. was one of the best in the country every year.
12 Kacy Rodgers
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Now the defensive coach under Todd Bowles for NFC champion Rodgers is well trained in Bowles’ ways after coordinating his defense for four seasons. LaFleur talked a lot about Bowles’ defense before each meeting in 2020 and might want the system to exist in Green Bay. If so, Rodgers is a logical option.
13 Mike Caldwell
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The same scenario exists for Caldwell, who has coached Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay for the past two seasons and has worked with Bowles in New York. Both Caldwell and Kacy Rodgers would provide an opportunity to enter the Bowles system. Caldwell helped develop Lavonte David and Devin White into All-Pros and may need to get more out of the very bad position in Green Bay.
14 Jerome Henderson
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He played in two Super Bowls and was a long-time defensive back in the NFL. He was the Falcons’ coordinator for passing games for four years, including during the 2016 season with LaFleur as staff. In 2020, his work with James Bradbury helped turn the Giants’ corner into a Pro Bowler.
15 Chris Shula
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The young defensive assistant coach played alongside Sean McVay in Miami (Ohio) and has been on McVay’s staff for the past four years, including the past two as an outside line coach. The Packers had great respect for the Rams’ defense scheme, and teams might want to find someone who worked under coordinator Brandon Staley. He is the grandson of the Hall of Fame coach, Don Shula.