Last night, it was reported that Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Rich Bisaccia had stepped down from the organization. The highest paid special teams coordinator in NFL history, Bisaccia was heavily criticized by Packers fans for a good portion of his four-year tenure with the team. While his arrival in 2022 had fans excited, the lack of improvement and constant struggles perceived struggles on special teams made him an easy target on social media.
Unfortunately, his resignation comes at the end of the NFL coaching hiring cycle, which means that the best candidates to replace him have already been hired by other teams.
Green Bay Packers fans are excited that Rich Bisaccia stepped down
Oct 19, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
As mentioned, fans were rather happy to hear that Bisaccia had stepped down from his role with the Packers. Many had been calling on Green Bay and LaFleur to fire him anyway, and were not happy that he was going to come back in 2026.
So when news hit that he was, in fact, not coming back, fans expressed their joy on social media:
https://t.co/LYonWZLeIe pic.twitter.com/1VSrzmo3Xp
— 🏀💚🤍Brooke (fan account) (@_Brooke22) February 18, 2026
Christmas came 10 months early https://t.co/j9bA33uBj7 pic.twitter.com/pro73yEHEi
— 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬🧀 (@crow2x) February 18, 2026
THE PACKERS HAVE OFFICIALLY WON THE 2026 OFFSEASON https://t.co/AWJPf4KqiZ pic.twitter.com/NrTesDUcQN
— 🧀 Chris 🧀 (@SeeColes) February 18, 2026
Thank god https://t.co/ZxC94KRxz5
— Emmy 💖👑 (@Wisco_diva) February 18, 2026
There is no denying the fact that the Packers’ special teams unit did not meet expectations in 2025, or in any of Bisaccia’s years as the special teams coordinator. The inconsistencies of the team’s kickers have cost the team numerous wins, and the last two years, especially, saw Green Bay go back to being one of the worst return teams in the NFL.
But while these weakness and criticism of them are valid, there are also three important things to consider about Bisaccia’s tenure with the Packers.
1. Rich Bisaccia was beloved by Packers players and coaches
The fact that LaFleur valued and trusted Bisaccia is well known. It is also commonly known that Green Bay’s players during his time with the Packers raved about how much they loved him and playing for him.
But what could perhaps be the most glowing testament to Bisaccia’s standing among the players came from four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who once said, “If anyone ever called me as a reference, one name that has been floating around out there [in head coach hiring rumors] that I would give a ringing endorsement to, is Rich Bisaccia. I’m a tremendous, tremendous fan of his.”
2. Green Bay’s special teams did have some success under Rich Bisaccia
Over the last couple years, especially, it has been easy for fans to target Bisaccia because of the poor kicking performances of Anders Carlson and Brandon McManus, as well as their inability to return kicks and punts.
That being said, it should be noted that he did turn Keisean Nixon into a two-time All-Pro kick return specialist, who the team decided not to put in that role in 2025 because of his status as a starting cornerback. Furthermore, current punter Daniel Whelan set multiple franchise records in 2025 under Bisaccia’s guidance.
3. Rich Bisaccia cared about the community
There is much that could be said about how good of a person Bisaccia is. However, this post from X perhaps summarizes the genuine love and care he had for fans and the community in which he worked:
Rich Bisaccia is one of the most genuine humans I’ve ever met.
Every single week in-season the last two years he stopped to talk to my little sister even though she’s non-verbal. He never missed or skipped a single week.
Wish him well with whatever is next pic.twitter.com/I5TSTrOFH4
— Mitchell Widmeier (@m_widmeier) February 18, 2026
Out of nowhere one week this past year at one of our weekly meetups, Rich gave us a couple of his team issued jackets, which hannah wears proudly.
A 1/1 human pic.twitter.com/jBCc7P00vw
— Mitchell Widmeier (@m_widmeier) February 18, 2026
One can look at the special teams performance over the last several years and come to the conclusion that the Packers needed to make a change at coordinator. It should be noted, though, that the failures of that unit date back much further than 2022. They have been an issue for years.
Whoever Green Bay hires to replace Bisaccia will be Matt LaFleur’s fourth special teams coordinator in eight years. If they really want to see improvements in that facet of the game, they need to change their philosophy regarding it at an organizational level.
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