The Green Bay Packers are 5-3-1 on the season, but have fallen out of first place in the NFC North after losing each of their last two games. They are looking to get back on track against the 2-8 New York Giants on Sunday, a game that precedes five divisional matchups in their final seven weeks. Indeed, this game is as close to a “must win” for the Packers as a Week 11 game can get.
For the Giants, it marks their first game since firing head coach Brian Daboll. While Mike Kafka has been named interim head coach, there is little doubt that someone else will be manning the sidelines in New York in 2026, and there are many who believe Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, could be that man.
A native of New Jersey, Hafley has ties to the area and has put himself on the radar of several NFL teams as a potential head coach, even interviewing for the New York Jets job last offseason. Indeed, it seems like it is a matter of when, not if, Green Bay will have to replace their defensive coordinator.
Green Bay Packers star Micah Parsons believes Jeff Hafley will be an NFL head coach
Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley speaks during a press conference Thursday, February 22, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.
NFL analysts are not the only ones who believe that Hafley is going to get an NFL head coaching job soon. Speaking with Packers reporters earlier this week, Green Bay star pass rusher Micah Parsons had high praise for his defensive coordinator, stating that he believes it is a role Hafley deserves.
According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Parsons said, “I do see it in his future. I think he’s a very player-first coach, same with ‘Zim’ and same with ‘Q’ (Mike Zimmer and Dan Quinn, Parsons’ former defensive coordinators with head-coaching experience). I don’t want it to happen sooner than later, but it probably will. You know how this league goes. He’s just a hell of a coach and one thing I like is we communicate on such a high level.
“When I say I want something to go in, he puts it in. He finds a way to adjust and usually he’s not just telling (us) to sit in the system. He understands how good we are and what we can be and our attributes and what we can offer, and he puts it in. He just makes the adjustments that you need as a player and doesn’t put guys in positions. He puts us in positions to win and not for his own self-esteem, like, ‘This is my defense.’ He’s opened it up night and day since I’ve been here and I love it and the guys love it.”
Even though the Packers have lost their last two games, the defense has played exceptionally well, allowing just 16 and 10 points respectively. Hafley has taken Green Bay’s defense to levels it has not seen in years, having them playing on a Super Bowl level (the offense and special teams has not matched it, though).
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