The Green Bay Packers are in the market for a defensive coordinator after Jeff Hafley landed the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news on Monday, January 19.
“ESPN Sources: Dolphins are hiring former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their head coach,” Schefter wrote. “Hafley completed his second interview with the team today and will be their new head coach.”
Following that news, former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris profiles as among the most likely candidates for take over DC duties in Green Bay.
“Some immediate names to keep a very close eye on: Demarcus Covington, Zach Orr, Christian Parker, Raheem Morris, Derrick Ansley, Jim Leonhard,” Andy Herman of the Packer Report wrote on X on Saturday. “I’d put Morris as my initial best guess if [Matt] LaFleur is back.”
Raheem Morris Won Super Bowl as Rams DC With Sean McVay, Close Friend of Packers HC Matt LaFleur
GettyGreen Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur recently inked a new multiyear contract with the franchise.
LaFleur returned on a multiyear contract over the weekend and has multiple degrees of connection to Morris through coaching relationships across the NFL.
Morris lost his job at the head coach in Atlanta after two seasons at the helm. Before his stint with the Falcons, Morris was Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator for three years, working under head coach Sean McVay. The two captured a Super Bowl together in 2021.
McVay and LaFleur are close friends and Morris makes sense as a DC in Green Bay now that LaFleur needs a competent one to replace Hafley.
Raheem Morris May Still Land Head Coaching Job Elsewhere in NFL After Losing Position With Atlanta Falcons
Former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons Raheem Morris could be the next defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers (Getty Images).
The one thing that could get the in the way of Morris to Green Bay is his potential candidacy for other head coaching jobs around the league.
Several teams remain without a head coach, including the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans.
The New York Giants have already hired John Harbaugh to run their sideline, while the Falcons replaced Morris with former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski over the weekend. Hafley claimed the third of 10 open head coaching jobs this cycle when the Dolphins hired him on Monday.
Morris also served head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-11 and spent part of the 2020 campaign as the Falcons’ head coach after starting that season as the team’s defensive coordinator. Morris has a regular season record 37-56 across five full seasons and a portion of a sixth in the top sideline role. No team he has coached has made the playoffs.
It is rare that any candidate gets three shots as an NFL head coach, particularly if neither of his first two stops results in a considerable amount of success. That said, Morris is well respected around the league and is still just 49 years old, so anything remains possible.
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