GREEN BAY – When Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur makes a major change on his coaching staff, he tends to interview a lot of people.
It appears that will be the case for his open defensive coordinator position.
According to reports, LaFleur has already reached out to at least four candidates and it’s likely he will interview more this week and next.
The latest addition to the list, according to ESPN, is Chicago Bears passing game coordinator and Packers Hall of Fame cornerback Al Harris. The former Dallas and Kansas City assistant coach interviewed on Jan. 21.
The Packers’ defensive coordinator position opened Jan. 19 when it was reported the Miami Dolphins would hire Jeff Hafley to be their coach. Hafley, who had spent the past two seasons leading the Packers defense, was a hot candidate and LaFleur was prepared for him to leave.
LaFleur has moved fast to set up interviews. The competition for defensive coordinators may be fierce given there were 10 head coach openings around the NFL and many members of those coaches’ staffs, including experienced coordinators, may be available.
LaFleur does not need permission from clubs to interview non-coordinators for his open position, or for coordinators who do not call the defense during games. However, he must wait until next week to interview coaches whose teams are in the playoffs, such as Denver passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard.
It’s likely LaFleur will want some continuity given his players’ investment in the system and will seek someone who runs a 4-3 defense. The Packers have assembled defensive linemen who are better suited for a 4-3, but they have some players who could excel rushing off the edge as outside linebackers.
There is no set deadline for when LaFleur must make a hire.
Here are coaches he is scheduled to interview or has interviewed, and coaches, according to reports, he may be interested in:
CANDIDATES WHO HAVE INTERVIEWED OR WERE CONTACTED FOR INTERVIEWS
Al Harris, Chicago Bears defensive backs coach
A member of the Packers Hall of Fame, Harris has been building his résumé since joining the coaching ranks in 2012.
He has coached in Miami, Kansas City, Dallas and Chicago. First-year coach Ben Johnson hired him to be the pass game coordinator under Dennis Allen and the Bears lead the league in interceptions despite having a weak pass rush.
Harris is a proponent of aggressive cornerback play and has coached in a variety of defenses under Kansas City’s Steve Spagnuolo, and Dallas’ Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer. Since he’s not run his own defense before, it’s not known exactly what scheme he would use, but it’s likely given his associations with Allen, Spagnuolo and Zimmer, he would incorporate a lot of blitzing.
Jonathan Gannon, former Arizona Cardinals coach
Gannon is scheduled to interview with LaFleur at an unknown date.
The former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator had a 15-36 record as head coach of the Cardinals and his 2025 team ranked 27th in overall defense and 29th in scoring. In three seasons, the best his defense ranked was 21st.
In Philadelphia, however, his unit ranked No. 2 overall in ’22 and No. 10 in ’21. The ’22 team lost to Kansas City in the Super Bowl. Gannon is considered a finalist for the Dallas coordinator job and interviewed with Washington.
Gannon employs a multiple scheme, which means he might use four or five linemen and linebackers at the line of scrimmage, nickel or dime packages and coverage or blitz schemes. In Arizona, he used more of a 3-4 system but changed fronts depending on opponents and employed different personnel groupings in the secondary, including three-safety personnel. NFL Network reported LaFleur’s interest in Gannon.
Christian Parker, Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs/passing game coordinator
(Parker reportedly will become the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.)
Parker is a former quality control assistant under LaFleur and considered a rising prospect in the coaching ranks. LaFleur wanted to keep Parker in 2021 but couldn’t offer him a spot as a position coach and lost him to the Denver Broncos. Parker learned Vic Fangio’s system in Denver and continued on with Fangio in Philadelphia.
Parker has experience in other systems as well, working under former Packers coordinator Mike Pettine, Carolina coordinator Ejiro Evero anbd Denver coordinator Vance Joseph.
The Schultz Report was first to report LaFleur’s interest in Parker.
Daronte Jones, Minnesota Vikings defensive backs/passing game coordinator
Jones joined the Vikings’ staff in ‘22 and would bring with him experience in coordinator Brian Flores’ aggressive blitzing scheme. He would be a candidate to replace Flores if Flores becomes a head coach or accepts a coordinator’s position somewhere else (his contract is expiring).
Jones has vast experience in multiple systems, working under Flores, former Vikings coordinator Mike Zimmer, former Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis, Indianapolis coordinator Lou Anarumo and Joseph.
Jones has interviewed for coordinator positions with Dallas and the New York Jets, and is reportedly going to interview with the New York Giants. NFL Network was the first to report the interest in Jones.
OTHER CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITION
DeMarcus Covington, Packers defensive line/run game coordinator
Covington has interviewed for the New York Jets coordinator position and was requested for an interview by the Cowboys. Covington is a former defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots, and LaFleur and Hafley both spoke highly of the job he did with the Packers’ defensive front. He would provide continuity for the defense, although it’s likely he would add his own twists to the system since he spent only one year with Hafley.
Jim Leonhard, Denver Broncos assistant head coach/pass game coordinator
It’s practically a given that LaFleur will talk with Leonhard, considering he was a finalist when Joe Barry was hired in 2021. It’s still unclear whether LaFleur actually made a firm offer to Leonhard to become defensive coordinator, but Leonhard pulled out of the running, hoping he might be the next Wisconsin Badgers head coach. There were no hard feelings between the two afterward. Leonhard played at UW and served as defensive backs coach, then defensive coordinator, then interim head coach during his seven seasons there (2016-22). After a year at Illinois, Leonhard has been coaching under coordinator Vance Joseph in Denver. Leonhard, who interviewed with Dallas, won’t be available to interview again until next week because the Broncos are in the playoffs. If Joseph is hired as a head coach, Leonhard would be in line to take over the Broncos’ coordinator job. He also knows Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer from when he was a player and Schottenheimer an assistant with the Jets. So, it’s not a given Green Bay would be his first choice.
Patrick Graham, Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator
Graham served as Mike McCarthy’s linebackers coach/run game coordinator with the Packers in 2018 before moving on to become Miami’s defensive coordinator in 2019. He was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the New York Giants for two seasons and joined the Raiders in ’22. Graham is a respected coach who did a solid job with what he had in Las Vegas. He spent seven seasons coaching for Bill Belichick in New England. Graham was given permission to interview for the Washington Commanders’ coordinator position.
Raheem Morris, former Atlanta Falcons coach
LaFleur and Morris coached together for two years at Washington (2012-13) and two years in Atlanta (2015-16). Morris comes from the Tony Dungy Tampa-2 system but he used the Fangio system in three seasons as coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams.
Bobby Babich, Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator
LaFleur interviewed Babich in 2024 when he hired Hafley. Babich didn’t call plays for Bills coach Sean McDermott so he is available if LaFleur wants to talk to him. LaFleur also could consider the recently fired McDermott, but it’s likely McDermott will get another head coaching job or sit out 2026. The Bills ranked seventh in the NFL in defense, eighth in interception percentage and 14th in sack percentage in ’25.
Aden Durde, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator
LaFleur wouldn’t need permission to interview Durde because coach Mike McDonald calls plays and would have to wait until next week because the Seahawks still are in the playoffs. LaFleur interviewed Durde, then a defensive line coach for Dallas, for his coordinator’s job in ’24. Durde was born in Middlesex, England, and grew up playing football in Great Britain. He was a coaching intern in Atlanta when LaFleur was there.
Dennard Wilson, Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator
LaFleur interviewed Wilson in 2024 when he was defensive backs coach of the Baltimore Ravens. With the Titans hiring San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as head coach, it’s likely Wilson will be allowed to seek work elsewhere. Wilson’s defense ranked No. 2 in the league in ’24 but fell to 21st last year. The Titans weren’t a heavy blitz team last year but they still ranked eighth in quarterback pressure percentage, according to Next Gen Stats. They ranked 12th in sacks and eighth in most passing touchdowns allowed.
Zach Orr, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator
If Orr isn’t retained by Baltimore’s new head coach, he will be available for interviews. LaFleur interviewed him during the ’24 search and it was erroneously reported that he offered him the job. The Packers got a good look at the Ravens defense in their Week 17 meeting, and it wasn’t a good look for Orr. The Packers moved the ball at will with backup Malik Willis replacing Jordan Love. The Ravens ranked 24th in defense and 31st in sack percentage.
Chris Harris, New York Jets interim defensive coordinator
A finalist in the search for the coordinator in 2021, Harris, then a defensive backs coach with Washington, went on to become pass coordinator and defensive backs coach in Tennessee for two seasons and accepted the same position under first-year coach Aaron Glenn. He became interim defensive coordinator when Glenn fired Steve Wilks. Harris has interviewed for the Jets’ permanent position.
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Ex-Packers corner Al Harris latest to interview with Matt LaFleur for coordinator job
Reporting by Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Packers News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
