The Green Bay Packers are yet to make a determination on defensive coordinator Joe Barry's future with the team — head coach Matt LaFleur said that he will take his time to make a decision.

But interesting details of his deal with the franchise have emerged on Monday, two days after the Packers lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, ending their season.

There was no clarity about Barry's contract length, but The Athletic's Packers beat writer Matt Schneidman clarified that the coordinator is still under contract for 2024.

Quick housekeeping note: Joe Barry’s contract is NOT expiring, according to a source. Matt LaFleur has yet to make a decision on the future of his defensive coordinator, but it would be a firing and not a decline to renew if he moves on from Barry.

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 22, 2024

Usually, NFL coordinators get three-year contracts, which sparked speculation about Joe Barry's deal potentially expiring after this season.

It's not clear, though, the circumstances of that — if it was originally a longer contract, or if there has been an extension since Barry got hired in 2021. It hasn't been disclosed, either, when the contract does expire.

Decision

The contract is an important point of analysis in terms of administration — because if the Packers decide to move on, they will still be forced to pay Barry and then the new coordinator on top of it.

However, it doesn't tend to preclude teams from making those kinds of decisions. After all, either Matt LaFleur thinks Joe Barry is the right person for the job or not.

"I know there's going to be a lot of long-term, big picture questions," head coach Matt LaFleur said during his end-of-season press conference on Monday. "I'm not there yet, fellas. We're just starting the process. Just gonna go through my process at my own pace."

In three seasons under Joe Barry, the Packers are 24th in EPA/play and 30th in success rate. Even investing most of its resources on defense, the team was still 27th in DVOA in 2023.

Barry's track record

Joe Barry, 53 years old, has worked in the NFL since 2000, when he was hired as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive quality control coach. After spending six seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers coach, he had his first DC experience with the Detroit Lions between 2007 and 2008. He came back to the Bucs in 2009.

After two years in college football between 2010 and 2011 as USC's linebackers coach, he held the same position for the San Diego Chargers for three years. Between 2015 and 2016, he had his second DC stint with the Washington Commanders.

Between 2017 and 2020, he worked under Sean McVay for the Los Angeles Rams. His defensive coordinators during this period were Wade Phillips (2017-2019) and Brandon Staley (2020).

Joe Barry's track record as DC (DVOA):

• 2007 Lions – 30th
• 2008 Lions – 31st
• 2015 Washington – 21st
• 2016 Washington – 25th
• 2021 Packers – 22nd
• 2022 Packers – 20th
• 2023 Packers – 27th

LaFleur's hiring process

Since taking over as the head coach in 2019, Matt LaFleur has made several coordinator hirings and firings — plus, former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett left in 2022 to be the Denver Broncos' head coach. Hackett was part of the inaugural LaFleur's coaching staff and ended up being replaced by former offensive line coach Adam Stenavich.

On defense, LaFleur initially retained Mike Pettine, hired during the last offseason under Mike McCarthy. Pettine was fired after the 2020, and Joe Barry was chosen to replace him.

The biggest number of changes happened in the special teams front. LaFleur hired Shawn Mennenga, fired after the 2020 season as well. The team promoted Maurice Drayton from assistant to coordinator, and he was fired after one season, opening the way for the team to hire Rich Bisaccia.

One year later, LaFleur takes a totally different approach to Joe Barry’s future

Changes might be on the horizon