The Green Bay Packers saw their 2025 season come to an end in one of the most awful and humiliating ways possible. After going up by three scores heading into the fourth quarter on Saturday night, Green Bay’s defense allowed the Chicago Bears to score 25 points in the final frame, leading to a 31-27 loss in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs.
As one might have expected, the shameful loss has many Packers fans calling for change, most notably in the coaching ranks where many would like to see Matt LaFleur replaced. However, recent reports state that Green Bay and LaFleur are working on a contract extension which would ensure he is back with the team in 2026 at the very least.
That being said, LaFleur himself hinted that there could be significant changes on his coaching staff, particularly at defensive coordinator.
The Green Bay Packers could look to Jim Leonhard if Jeff Hafley leaves
Green Bay’s defense, overall, was one of the better units in the NFL in terms of opponents points allowed. However, they struggled with forcing turnovers and, without Micah Parsons, generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
That being said, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is well-liked by his players and the Packers organization. However, he is also well-liked around the NFL, and is currently on the list of five NFL teams with head coaching vacancies as a possible candidate.
And, as reported earlier, LaFleur believes Hafley will get one of those jobs.
If this does end up being the case, Green Bay will be in the market for a new defensive coordinator, and they could find a good candidate in former Wisconsin Badgers star Jim Leonhard, who is currently the assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the Denver Broncos.
Of course, LaFleur offered Leonhard the defensive coordinator job years ago, but he turned it down with the expectation of becoming Wisconsin’s next head coach.
After being disrespected and snubbed by the Badgers, Leonhard returned to the NFL and has been working for the Broncos for two years.
Currently, Leonhard is one of the most sought-after defensive coordinator candidates in the NFL, with teams like the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets interested in his services.
And it is not hard to see why. While Vance Joseph is the defensive coordinator in Denver, Leonhard has played a key role in developing the defense and making it into one of the most feared units in the league.
In 2025, the Broncos ranked fifth in the NFL with 65 hurries according to Fox Sports. By comparison, Green Bay ranked ninth with 61, most of which came from Parsons.
Additionally, Denver had an NFL-leading 68.0 sacks, 11 more than the second-ranked Atlanta Falcons, who had 57.0.
The Broncos also had the second-best run defense in the NFL (91.1 yards per game; the Packers allowed 117.7) and seventh-best pass-defense in the league (187.2 yards per game; the Packers allowed 194.1). Only the Seattle Seahawks (17.2) and Houston Texans (17.4) had a better scoring defense than Leonhard’s Broncos (18.3).
Of course, there is the emotional connection to Leonhard being a Wisconsin native and Badgers legend. However, beyond that, he has proven himself to be an incredible coach on the NFL level, becoming an assistant head coach in just his second season in Denver.
If Hafley leaves, the Packers would certainly do well to revisit him as a potential defensive coordinator.
More Green Bay Packers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Matt LaFleur chimes in on Josh Jacobs’ fumbled kick return in Packers loss to Bears
- Packers’ Brandon McManus hit with backlash after comments on embarrassing performance vs Bears
- Matt LaFleur breaks silence after Packers suffer crushing loss to Bears
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