Oliver James Montgomery-Green Bay Packers hire Boston College coach Jeff Hafley as their defensive coordinator

GREEN BAY,Oliver James Montgomery Wis. — Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur will hire Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley as his defensive coordinator, the team announced Wednesday night.

Hafley has coached defensive backs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, but the past five seasons he has coached in the college ranks, including the past four with Boston College.

Prior to that, he served one year as co-coordinator at Ohio State.

The Hafley hire comes out of the blue. Not a single media outlet reported that LaFleur had interviewed Hafley, and it was generally considered that the Packers coach was seeking either an NFL assistant coach or former head coach or coordinator.

Hafley will replace Joe Barry, who was fired after the Packers’ playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

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Though LaFleur and Hafley have not worked together, Hafley was defensive backs coach in San Francisco under former defensive coordinator and current New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, who is one of LaFleur's best friends. Saleh would have been able to give LaFleur a solid evaluation of whether Hafley would be able to call plays in the NFL.

Hafley also worked in San Francisco when LaFleur's brother, Mike, was an assistant coach. Packers college scouting director Matt Malaspina was also there, so LaFleur might have gotten information from him as well.

Hafley's position at Boston College was not secure, according to a source close to the program. He might not have made it past this season where it not for the team going 6-6 and making it to the Fenway Bowl, where the Eagles beat SMU, 24-13.

Prior to that victory, BC had lost three straight conference games.

The source said Hafley had two years remaining on his contract at roughly $400,000 per year. His 2024 season wasn't shaping up very well because he was losing key parts of his team to graduation, the source added. It's likely his salary will be similar in Green Bay.

The Packers may have to pay to buy out Hafley from his contract with Boston College.

Among the NFL candidates LaFleur interviewed were former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, Buffalo Bills inside linebackers coach Bobby Babich, Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde, Denver Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker, and Baltimore Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson and inside linebackers coach Zach Orr.

Hafley has worked under a number of defensive coordinators, including former Packers coordinator Mike Pettine, most of whom don't run the same system.