Signs point to the Packers quietly waiting for the right moment to land their top defensive coordinator target
Jim Leonhard is a name to watch for Matt LaFleur.
The favorite name to take over as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator may be the same one that was Matt LaFleur’s favorite five years ago. After offering him the job in 2021, the Packers are now willing to wait for Denver Broncos assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard.
On ESPN Milwaukee, Packers beat writer Rob Demovsky shared his impressions about the Packers’ defensive coordinator search, and it seems like Leonhard is the favorite to land the job — or at least that Green Bay won’t make a final decision before talking to him.
“I don’t think anything happens until he can talk to Jim Leonhard. Jim Leonhard is high on his list. He obviously can’t talk to him yet,” Demovsky said. “Long story short, they’re going to talk to Jim Leonhard before any decision is made, and I think he’s high on the list. Jonathan Gannon is high on the list. We don’t know what Raheem Morris is doing yet, whether he’s sitting out the year. That’s kind of where I’m at with LaFleur’s guys. I do think there are a lot of options on the table.”
Interview rules
The Packers can’t talk to Jim Leonhard in person now because the Denver Broncos play the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. And even though the team would have two weeks before the Super Bowl, the first week after the championship round only allows second interviews.
In the Packers’ case, Jeff Hafley was still with the team when the first window closed. Hafley later became the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, delaying the process to some extent.
Now, LaFleur has to wait for Sunday. If the Broncos lose, he could talk in person to Leonhard as early as Monday. If the Broncos win, they would have to wait until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 8. However, the parties can talk virtually.
The NFL world moves fast
Back in 2021, after firing Mike Pettine, the Packers wanted to hire Jim Leonhard out of Wisconsin. At the time, though, Leonhard thought he could become the Badgers’ head coach and declined the offer. The Packers hired Joe Barry instead.
“Jim Leonhard in 2021 went deep into this process, and at the time I was told he didn’t feel like the move was right,” Demovsky added. “One of the reasons, from what I understood, was that his family really liked living in Madison. His family still lives in Madison, and he’s in Denver, so Green Bay would be a little closer.”
Even though Leonhard became the Badgers’ interim head coach in 2022, he wasn’t retained. After a year as a senior football analyst at Illinois in 2023, he made the move to the NFL as the Denver Broncos’ defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator — and in 2025, he was promoted to assistant head coach.
The Packers have already interviewed Philadelphia Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker (who later took the Cowboys’ DC job), Minnesota Vikings defensive passing game coordinator Daronte Jones, former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, and Chicago Bears defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Al Harris.
It’s a long process, but it sounds like LaFleur has his favorite guy for the job.