GREEN BAY, Wis. — Since becoming the Green Bay Packers' head coach in 2019, Matt LaFleur has cycled through three different special teams coordinators.
He hired his fourth in eight years on Friday.
After interviewing with LaFleur and members of the coaching staff last week, the Packers will be hiring Cameron Achord as the successor to Rich Bisaccia, according to ESPN.
The Packers honed in on the 39-year-old Achord after holding interviews with Devin Fitzsimmons, Colt Anderson, Sam Sewell, Kyle Wilber and Tom McMahon. The special teams job in Green Bay was the final coordinator vacancy across the league waiting to be filled due to the abrupt decision from Bisaccia to step down from his role, leaving the Packers with a fairly bare hiring pool.
Both LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst have all spoken glowingly about Bisaccia, whether it be as a coach or an elder statesman within the building that players have immense respect for. Unfortunately, Bisaccia's unit has been trending in the opposite direction—though, the same can be said for several of his predecessors—and his place on the hierarchy as assistant head coach can only carry so much weight. A change was necessary, but it never appeared to be imminent; LaFleur always spoke as if he was content keeping Bisaccia on the coaching staff into 2026 and, evidently, so did Gutekunst.
Cam Achord joins the Packers as a former Super Bowl-winning assistant coach. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
During a press conference with local media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, Gutekunst admitted that he and the team were surprised by Bisaccia's decision to step away. At 65 years old, Bisaccia said in a statement tissued by the team that he took some time to reflect on his future following the conclusion of the season. He may entertain other opportunities, whether it be in the NFL or at the collegiate level.
For the Packers, Achord will look to engineer a wholesale turnaround for a special teams unit that has consistently ranked in the bottom-third of the league. Whether it was Bisaccia, Maurice Drayton or Shawn Mennenga, the Packers have seen very little change in that phase of the game, though, there have been a couple of bright spots. Irish-born punter Daniel Whelan has blossomed into a top player at his position and led the league in average yards per punt last season, which marked his third with the team. He's fresh off signing a two-year extension with the Packers last September. Also, before becoming the Packers' No. 1 cornerback, Keisean Nixon was a First-team All-Pro return man and led the league in return yardage in back-to-back seasons.
Achord, a Mississippi native, has a Super Bowl ring on his resume. He joined the professional ranks in 2018 as an assistant special teams coach for the eventual champion New England Patriots—a job he held until 2020 when he was promoted following the departure of Joe Judge. After four seasons as the Patriots' special teams coordinator, Achord, a member of Bill Belichick's staff, wasn't retained after Jerod Mayo was hired as the franchise's next head coach in 2024.
Achord ventured to the New York Giants for the next two years. Following the hiring of John Harbaugh last month, Achord once again wasn't retained as a member of the new coaching staff.
In his first year as the Patriots' special teams coordinator, Achord's squad ranked No. 1 in Rick Gosselin's annual rankings. They dropped all the way to No. 18 the following year before gradually ascending to No. 16 in 2022 and No. 13 in 2023. Last season, Achord helped lead a group in New York that finished the year with a single-season franchise record for kick return yardage. The Giants accounted for 1,942 yards with Gunner Olszewski and Deonte Banks combining for 1,304 between the two of them, breaking a record that had stood for over six decades. The Giants' 27.7 average yards per kick return in 2025 ranked No. 5 in the league, which is tremendous news for the Packers, who have failed to stabilize their return game.
Even while in New England, the song remained the same for Achord and the Patriots' return game. They ranked No. 3 in the league with 26.2 average yards per return in 2023 after finishing No. 1 in punt return yardage in 2022 and No. 3 in total return yardage.
Replacing an elder statesman such as Bisaccia is going to be a tall task, but the Packers have to start somewhere. Achord's resume is something that they can hang their hat on, but the reality is that it doesn't matter who the Packers hire to coordinate their special teams—the philosophy within the building has to change, extending all the way to the front office.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 12th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com