The Green Bay Packers have been in perennial contention for the NFC since the 1990s. Thanks to the consistent nature of the ever-evolving coaching staff (and consistent QB play), the Packers have been solidified as one of the most dominant franchises of the last 30 years. Despite Green Bay’s overall consistency, the defense has lacked that same steadiness.

After moving on from defensive coordinator Joe Barry, the Green Bay Packers look to turn into a more intimidating form of themself under Jeff Hafley. After his early hire in the 2024 offseason, the Packers players and fans found reasons to root for him. Luckily for the man who hired him, it seems it is already paying dividends.

Jeff Hafley was lured away from his head coaching position with Boston College to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. Despite his underwhelming head coaching career, his defensive philosophy and knowledge have proven to be a weapon with any team that has hired him. According to Matt Lafleur, this has continued with the Green Bay Packers.

“I mean, I don’t know, I think the longer you’re around people, the more you learn them, but he’s exactly what I anticipated, in terms of just his attention to detail, his ability to connect with people, both coaches and players,” LaFleur responded, regarding something he’s learned about his defensive coordinator. “My brother worked with him at two different stops, in Cleveland and in San Francisco. Had a pretty good idea of what we were getting into.”

Jeff Hafley found success as a defensive back coach in his seven seasons in the NFL. After helping to put Boston College on the map (improving their defense to a high degree, Hafley found himself unhappy with the current state of the NCAA in the NIL era.

“Your fundraising. I mean, I want to coach football. I want to coach more defense this year than I did last year. Now, it’s just prioritizing — I gotta coach again, I miss it. I miss coaching DBs. But how am I going to do that?”

Hafley’s impact seems to already be making its way into the Green Bay Packers, with the Packers defense reportedly flying around the field early in training camp.