Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers are beginning their search for a new defensive coordinator.
Mike Pettine, who served on paper for a year under Mike McCarthy and two more under LaFleur, was released by the Packers after the 2020 season.
LaFleur has internal candidates and potential external hires to consider.
Here is a list of 15 potential candidates to replace Pettine in Green Bay:
1 Jerry Gray
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The Packers’ defensive back coach is highly respected among players and has previous NFL experience as a defensive coordinator. He spent five years as a defensive coordinator in Buffalo (2001-05) and three more in Tennessee (2011-13), and worked directly for Mike Zimmer for six years in Minnesota (2014-19). LaFleur hired him to take on the secondary in 2020, and Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos had the best seasons of their career.
2 Mike Smith
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Packers’ external linebackers may be ready for the chance to lead a defense. A former Baltimore player and assistant coach for three years in Kansas City, Smith joined the Packers in 2019 and helped revolutionize the team’s edge rusher group. Za’Darius Smith is a Pro Bowler and All-Pro, while Rashan Gary looks like a future star. As a disciple of Pettine, could Smith have new ideas for defense in general?
3 Wade Phillips
December 1, 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; Wade Phillips, defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Like Pettine, Phillips is a former coach who can be trusted with full control over the defense, and he has already won the Super Bowl as a defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos. In addition, LaFleur worked with Phillips in Los Angeles in 2017. With an elite flair, Phillips has the background to transform the Packers’ defense into a championship outfit.
4 Kris Richard
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His experience in Dan Quinn’s defense style can be highly attractive to LaFleur, who worked with Quinn in Atlanta and respects the former Falcons chief. When the defensive coordinator in Seattle, Richard’s scoring defenses qualified in the top half of the NFL every three years, including two submissions in the top five.
5 Jerod Mayo
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Winner of the Super Bowl and defensive captain of the Patriots, Mayo successfully passed as a coach, leading New England’s domestic linebackers in each of the past two seasons. He is a rising star in the coach ranking. With aspirations as a head coach, a chance to coordinate a defense like Green Bay’s may be the next step.
6 Marvin Lewis
Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis smiles on the side in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens.
Ravens’ longtime defensive coordinator and Bengals head coach has been with Herm Edwards at Arizona State for the past two years. Would he like to return to the NFL as a coordinator for a Super Bowl candidate? Packers can present the right opportunity.
7 James Bettcher
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Bettcher coordinated defenses in Arizona (2015-17) and New York (2018-19). His defenses were not statistically good with the Giants, but his style of attack was a great success with the Cardinals. The 49ers just hired him for a senior position, but it is possible that Kyle Shanahan will let him go if he has the opportunity to lead the defense in Green Bay.
8 Stephen Belichick
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Bill’s son has trained nearly every Patriots position group in the past decade, giving him the profile of a candidate for coordinator. The Belichick coaching tree did not always produce outside of New England, but perhaps the family tree can. Being a coordinator seems like an appropriate next step if he wants to be a head coach, although leaving the Patriots may not be an attractive option.
9 Kris Kocurek
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He trained excellent defensive lines in Detroit and San Francisco. His work with Robert Saleh, one of LaFleur’s closest friends, could be vital to the search. LaFleur may want a defensive scheme based on Saleh’s concepts, and Kocurek is probably waiting for a chance to be a coordinator.
10 Teryl Austin
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Although he was never a head coach, Austin was the coordinator of some good Lions defenses between 2014 and 2018. His year as a coordinator in Cincinnati ended badly. He has been the Steelers’ main defense assistant for the past two seasons and may be ready to return to lead the defense.
11 Jim Leonhard
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No list would be complete without Leonhard, another Pettine disciple who has commanded Wisconsin’s dominant defenses in Madison since 2017. He has NFL gambling experience, and while hiring a college coach always has risks, the college game often turns into the NFL and Leonhard’s defenses have been among the best in the country every year.
12 Kacy Rodgers
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Now the defensive line coach under Todd Bowles for the NFC champions, Rodgers is well trained on the Bowles paths after coordinating his defenses with the New York Jets for four seasons. LaFleur praised Bowles’ defenses before each meeting in 2020 and may want that system in place at Green Bay. In that case, Rodgers is a logical option.
13 Mike Caldwell
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The same scenario exists for Caldwell, who has trained internal linebackers for Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay for the past two seasons and worked side by side with Bowles in New York. Caldwell and Kacy Rodgers would provide an opportunity to dive into the Bowles system. Caldwell helped develop Lavonte David and Devin White in All-Pros and can be vital to getting more out of the much-maligned position in Green Bay.
14 Jerome Henderson
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He played in two Super Bowl matches and has long been a defensive coach in the NFL. He was the Falcons’ pass game coordinator for four years, including during the 2016 season with LaFleur on the team. In 2020, his work with James Bradbury helped transform the Giants’ cornerback into a Pro Bowler.
15 Chris Shula
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The young defensive assistant coach played with Sean McVay in Miami (Ohio) and has been on McVay’s team for the past four years, including the last two as coach of external linebackers. The Packers had great respect for the Rams’ defensive scheme, and teams may want someone to work under coordinator Brandon Staley. He is the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula.