Green Bay Packers insider updates where Joe Barry's job status stands

The Green Bay Packers have a big decision to make regarding their coaching staff following Saturday’s 24-21 NFC Divisional Round defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.

Joe Barry, Green Bay’s defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, isn’t a lock to return for the 2024 season after another season in which his defense failed to meet expectations. Whereas head coach Matt LaFleur said after the season ended last year that he anticipated Berry and his coaching staff returning in 2023, his tone was much different during his end-of-season press conference Monday when asked about Berry’s status.

“We’re just getting into the evaluation portion right now,” LaFleur said, via Lombardi Ave. “I haven’t met with any of our coaches yet. That’ll start this afternoon.

He added: “I haven’t even thought about that at this stage. Kind of going through everything right now. I want to certainly sit down with every assistant before any decisions are made.”

Matt Schneidman of The Athletic added that Barry’s contract is not expiring and that if Barry isn’t back in 2024, it’ll be because LaFleur fired him.

Packers fall short in NFC Divisional Round

Barry, 53, has been a defensive coordinator for seven seasons in the NFL, serving previous two-year tenures with the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders before joining the Packers in 2021. In Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), Berry’s defenses have finished 20th or worse each season. This season, the Packers finished 27th. In more traditional stats, Green Bay finished 17th in yards per game (335.1) and 10th in points per game (20.6).

Berry’s unit held steady for majority of the game against San Francisco, before allowing the 49ers to rattle off a 12-play, 69-yard game-winning drive in the final six minutes of the game. LaFleur, however, still came away impressed with the defense’s performance.

“I thought it was fantastic,” LaFleur said when asked about the defense’s performance. “Certainly, we’d like to get a stop at the end, that’s one of the best offenses in this league. It’s one of the best football teams in this league. Like I said, there were so many opportunities in the first half, even in the second half, where we didn’t take advantage of. That stinks.”