GREEN BAY, Wis. Mike Pettine does not have to go far to get his next job. The Chicago Bears appointed the former Green Bay Packers defense coordinator as senior defense assistant on Wednesday.
Pettine has worked on the Packers defense for the past three years, but was not retained after his contract expired after the 2020 season.
The Packers finished ninth overall in the overall defense under Pettine last season, but a defensive split at the end of the first half in the NFC Championship game over what Matt LaFleur, the coach, ‘had a flat faulty communication’ between him and Pettine mentioned about what the call should be Tom Brady’s 39-year-old pass with one second left in the second quarter, eventually led to LaFleur deciding to move away from Pettine.
The Packers have hired Joe Barry to replace Pettine.
Pettine, 54, never signed an extension of the contract offered to him after last season, meaning he was in the final year of his contract, a source told ESPN after the season. Most coordinators and position coaches always have two years to deal with the Packers, but Pettine chose to go into the final year of his contract and see how things play out.
The Chicago Tribune reported last week that Bears coach Matt Nagy is tending to hire a senior defense assistant to help new coordinator Sean Desai. In Pettine, the Bears will not only have an experienced defense coordinator, but also a former head coach (Pettine coached the Browns in 2014-15).
The Bears promoted Desai, who was their safety coach, to replace Chuck Pagano, who retired after the season.
The Bears also promoted Mike Snyder from the Offensive Quality Control Coach to the Offensive Quality Control / Assistant Coach on Wednesday, and Henry Burris of Bill Walsh Coaching Fellow moved to the Offensive Quality Control Coach.