Jonathan Gannon Hired As Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator

First of all, happy NFL Championship Sunday to those who celebrate.

If your team is still alive, enjoy the moment and best of luck!

The Green Bay Packers decided to get Championship Sunday off with big time news. Hiring former Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon as their new defensive coordinator.

Gannon will take over for Jeff Hafley, who was recently hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins just days after the Phins hired Jon-Eric Sullivan, another former Packer front office member as their General Manager.

If you're wondering if Gannon is the same guy from this video, the answer is unfortunately yes...

Now, despite the goofiness that was documented during his time as head coach of the Cardinals, Gannon has also had success when able to call his own defense which he did not do in Arizona.

During his time with the Eagles as their DC, from 2021 to 2022, Gannon’s Eagles were 12th in opposing passer rating (88.7) and led the charge of that dominant pass rush that Philly showed during their first Super Bowl run.

Gannon disguises coverages well. The Cardinalsused Cover-0, Cover-1, and Cover-2 at rates very close to those seen in Jeff Hafley's Green Bay Packers scheme.

The Cardinals stood out most for their frequent reliance on Cover-4 or Quarters Coverage.

Although Gannon wasn't the one signaling in the plays directly, he played a key role in shaping the unit's defensive approach—which employed Quarters more often than any other team in the league.

The Packers under Hafley, by contrast, ranked much lower (around 19th) in their use of this coverage, favoring other options more regularly.

Gannon's Eagles were also second in the league in Quarters coverage usage during his final year there. 

With Philadelphia, he mostly played four-down (4-3 or nickel defense) looks with match-quarters coverage. In Arizona, the defense was a 3-4 base that relied on a lot of simulated pressures.

If you're wondering what the hell I am talking about, Gannon's defense will limit explosive plays with little blitz rate. He will likely expect Micah Parsons and three other rushers to disrupt the quarterback while others drop back in coverage and keep the ball in front of them.

Other candidates that were known publicly to interview for the job included Christian Parker (who accepted the Cowboys DC job earlier this week), Vikings pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Daronte Jones, Chicago Bears pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Al Harris and Gannon.

The Packers had supposed interest in Broncos pass game coordinator/assistant head coach Jim Leonhard, but were unable to interview him due to the fact the Broncos season was sitll happening as of Sunday morning.

All this to really say that this hire will likely either make or break Matt LaFleur's career in Green Bay. If the hire is successful, that likely means the Packers made deeper playoff runs and maybe even a Super Bowl appearance. If it fails, it signals the continued struggles of the Packers winning big games and will be the end of LaFleur in Titletown.