GREEN BAY, Wis. — Matt LaFleur could see it coming. Mika Parsons didn’t want to believe it.
Now, both the Green Bay Packers coach and their best running back must find life after Jeff Hafley. They lost their defensive coordinator on Monday, when Hafley was hired for his first NFL head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins.
In Miami, Hafley will be reunited with former Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, who became general manager of the Dolphins less than two weeks ago. Hafley had applied for more than half of the head coaching jobs in the NFL, which is why LaFleur began preparing for Hafley’s absence after two seasons as Green Bay’s DC.
“I expect him to get one of these,” LaFleur said last week.
“We will make sure we have a good plan,” he added.
Parsons, when presented with the possibility that the Packers might lose Hafley, said: “Nah, Haf is not going anywhere.”
Maybe Parsons was just trying to talk it into existence.
Shortly after Hafley was hired on Monday, Parsons posted on social media: “Really happy for haf! Great guy! He’s going to be missed!”
I am honestly happy with the haf! A very nice person! He will lose his power! https://t.co/GjzNPeRYle
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) January 19, 2026
From the moment Parsons arrived in Green Bay on Aug. 29, he spoke highly of Hafley, and that hasn’t changed in the postseason.
“I would say his ability to say ‘F it. Let’s go fight. Let’s put it simple. This is who we are. This is what we do. Let’s make them beat us,'” Parsons said. “And his intelligence. Wanting to meet more and challenge me as a player. It was the same thing. [Dan Quinn, his former Cowboys DC] you did, you gave me the green light to be as good a player as I want to be.
“There are other players that. I think he challenges each team in a different way. He challenges [safety Xavier McKinney] getting in the back, put us in a good position where they can play good football. You challenge [linebacker Quay Walker] differently. I think he challenges everyone in a different way, he has his own mind and goals for each player, which is good because all players are not the same.”
LaFleur lured Hafley to the head coaching job at Boston College two years ago after the Packers moved on from Joe Barry after the 2023 season. The Packers jumped from 17th to fifth in defense in Hafley’s first season. They were also in the Top 10 against the run and takeaways.
Before Parsons tore his left ACL against the Denver Broncos in Week 15, the Packers ranked sixth in total yards allowed, including eighth against the run and the pass. They finished 12th overall, 18th against the offense and 11th against the pass — then suffered a fourth-round disaster in a wild-card loss to the Bears, dropping 25 points.
Still, safety Javon Bullard said it will “absorb” losing Hafley.
“Seeing him get an opportunity, and hearing those comments, yeah, it’s sad because he’s a great defensive coordinator,” said Bullard, the second-best defensive coordinator in the NFL. “But you want him to succeed, you want him to be able to continue to accumulate his bread, to continue to take care of his family, to continue to balance his work. It would be great for him, and we are happy for him, we are proud of him, but we hope that he will come back.”
At least losing Hafley didn’t come as a surprise to LaFleur, who arguably had a ready list of potential candidates with former Falcons coach Raheem Morris at or near the top of that list, according to multiple league sources. LaFleur and Morris worked together with both the Commanders and the Falcons.
The two remain close, and last year at the NFL’s annual meetings, LaFleur called Morris “my boy.” This came about because LaFleur was told that Morris supports the Packers’ proposal to try to ban the tush push game.
“That’s my boy,” LaFleur said at the time. “My friends and I.”
LaFleur also looks to other people who have interviewed for the job in the past two years. That includes current NFL defensive coordinators Bobby Babich (Bills), Zach Orr (Ravens) and Dannard Wilson (Titans). Everything can be achieved if the new coaches with those teams are not the keepers.
LaFleur could also try to lure Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores from Minnesota. Flores is not under contract until 2026 and has negotiated head coaching jobs and the opening of at least one other defensive coordinator. Flores was one of the frontrunners to be the Packers’ head coach in 2019, a source said, before LaFleur got the job.
Gus Bradley, the 49ers assistant coach, may also be on the list because of his relationship with 49ers DC Robert Saleh, one of LaFleur’s best friends. Bradley spent this past season working with Saleh in San Francisco. Matt Eberflus, the former Bears coach, who was recently fired as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, is available.
If LaFleur does promote someone from within to replace Hafley, the most likely candidates will be defensive line coach/running game coordinator DeMarcus Covington, defensive pass coordinator Derrick Ansley and linebackers coach Ryan Downard. Both Covington and Ansley have become defensive coordinators.
Hafley may try to take some of the Packers’ coaches — on both sides of the ball — with him. LaFleur was still in the testing phase of his staff. A source on Monday evening said LaFleur is still “determining” whether to make significant changes to his coaching staff after his contract extension on Saturday night. That could include a complete overhaul of the coordinator positions if he decides to move on from Adam Stenavich (offense) and Rich Bisaccia (special teams).
Another league source said the extension will help LaFleur attract new coaches because of the stability in the league.
Regardless, the Packers will be hiring their fourth defensive coordinator since LaFleur took over as coach.
