Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was the Ben Johnson of this year’s loaded head coaching cycle. After firing former head coach Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins conducted dozens of interviews before finally landing the most sought-after first-time head coach in the league.
“Dolphins are hiring former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their head coach,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. “Hafley completed his second interview with the team today and will be their new head coach.”
Hafley follows new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami.
Sullivan spent 22 years in Green Bay instilling the Super Bowl championship roots. Hafley spent just two years, quickly climbing the coaching ranks after being hired as the Packers’ defensive coordinator in 2024.
Jeff Hafley Coaching Resume
Hafley’s coaching career began in the early 2000’s with nearly a decade spent at the college level.
His first NFL coaching job came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hafley spent two seasons coaching the defensive backs.
Hafley reprised the same role with the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers for five seasons before going back to the college coaching scene.
He then took the job of defensive coordinator at Boston College, where he stayed for four seasons before eventually being hired by the Packers.
With the Packers, he made a name for himself as one of, if not the top, defensive coordinators in the NFL.
In 2024, his first year with the job, his defense allowed less than 100 yards of rushing per game and ended the year as a top-10 total defense.
The defensive stats took a step back in 2025 as the team struggled with countless injuries.
His reputation was not damaged by Green Bay’s regression, as made evident by nearly every team with a head coaching vacancy reaching out to him for an interview.
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