GREEN BAY, Wis. — With Jeff Hafley leaving for a head-coaching opportunity, the Green Bay Packers were left with a vacancy at defensive coordinator this offseason.
That position was filled by Jonathan Gannon, who is on the heels of a three-year tenure with the Arizona Cardinals as their head coach. He was relieved of his duties at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign as the organization began the transition into a new era -- one that didn't include former No. 1 overall pick at quarterback, Kyler Murray, who signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. It took less than a month for Gannon to land his latest job as the Packers cycled through respective candidates.
The 43-year-old Gannon returns to the defensive circuit, where he had spent the majority of his coaching career. From defensive quality control coach, defensive backs coach and, eventually, the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, Gannon brings a unique defensive mind to Green Bay.
"I thought it was pretty clear when he came in there, man, the guy knows football," LaFleur told Packers.com at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix. "He's got a passion for football. He's done it at a high level. Obviously, what he did in Philly was pretty remarkable, getting them to the Super Bowl."
While the Eagles suffered a narrow loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in a high-scoring affair in Super Bowl LVII, Gannon was at the helm of a defense that ranked in the upper echelon -- and often at the very top -- of the league in various categories. Across Gannon's two seasons coordinating the unit, the Eagles ranked No. 3 in the league in both average passing yards allowed and average total defense allowed. The 2022 season was especially notable, as the Eagles were No. 2 in total defense and No. 1 in pass defense.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur at the NFL Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 30. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
The 2022 defense under Gannon set a single-season franchise record with 70 sacks, earning league-wide recognition for its intense, devastating pass rush. That, alone, may have been a focal point in LaFleur's hiring of Gannon -- once Micah Parsons sustained a season-ending knee injury in December, the Packers' pass rush fell off dramatically.
Above all else, LaFleur brought aboard someone with experience as a head coach. The abundance of savvy experience adds to Gannon's value within the building, which is imperative after Rich Bisaccia stepped away from the team in February. Bisaccia was the Packers' special teams coordinator, but he was also LaFleur's assistant head coach. In addition to promoting Luke Getsy and DeMarcus Covington to assistant head coaches of the offense and defense, respectively, LaFleur has a third -- albeit unofficial -- outlet in Gannon.
"I just love the experience that he has as not only a play caller, but as a head coach as well. Somebody that I'll be able to bounce things off of from time to time," said LaFleur.
The Packers' defensive structure shouldn't be altered too much in terms of its philosophy. For more than a decade, they ran a 4-3 defensive scheme before shifting to a 3-4 front with the arrival of Dom Capers in 2009. That remained the same through Capers' nine seasons in Green Bay, and continued with Mike Pettine (2018-2020) and Joe Barry (2021-2023). Hafley's arrival prompted a transition into a 4-3, but he and Gannon, who has historically implemented a 3-4 front, are alike in the sense that they're going to operate out of a variety of different structures -- there won't be one fixed alignment.
The Eagles' trio of Brandon Graham (left), Javon Hargrave (middle), and Fletcher Cox (right). (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Gannon's presence incentivized whom the Packers pursued in free agency, too. Earlier this month, they signed 33-year-old defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a two-year deal worth $23 million dollars, including $13 million in the first year. Hargrave, who played two of his three years with the Eagles under Gannon, was a significant component of that aforementioned tenacious pass rush.
The Packers are clearly hoping that Gannon could help Hargrave return to the same disruptive presence that he was when the pair were together in Philadelphia. In both seasons playing under Gannon, Hargrave earned Pro Bowl honors and racked up 18.5 sacks in addition to a whopping 129 pressures. General manager Brian Gutekunst is rarely willing to stray away from his tendency to exclusively pursue free agents on the younger side entering what he believes to be the prime of their careers, so unless he had a change of heart, it may have been Gannon who advocated for the signing.
Hargrave is the oldest free agent acquired by Gutekunst since tight ends Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis in 2018, who were 31 and 33 years old, respectively, at the time of their signings. That same spring, Gutekunst signed cornerback Tramon Williams, who had just celebrated his 35th birthday the week prior, but had previously spent nine seasons in Green Bay. Linebacker Zaire Franklin, whom the Packers acquired in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts at the start of free agency, will also turn 30 years old this summer.
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