Matt LaFleur on Jeff Hafley hire: 'Exactly what I anticipated'

The Green Bay Packers and Matt LaFleur made a shocking hire for their vacant defensive coordinator position earlier in the offseason, when they convinced Jeff Hafley to abandon his post as the leader of the Boston College Eagles and join their cause.

To say it was a surprise would be an understatement, as Hafley was fresh off finishing his fourth season with the program, leading the Eagles to their first bowl win since 2016, and a 7-6 on their campaign. Now, Hafley will be looking to help LaFleur deliver a Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay in 2024.

Speaking with the media, the Packers leader elaborated on his relationship with his new defensive coordinator, and how Hafley has adjusted to the seismic shift in his coaching career.

“I mean, I don’t know, I think the longer you’re around people, the more you learn them, but he’s exactly what I anticipated, in terms of just his attention to detail, his ability to connect with people, both coaches and players,” LaFleur responded, regarding something he’s learning about his defensive coordinator since bringing him to Green Bay. “My brother worked with him at two different stops, in Cleveland and in San Francisco. Had a pretty good idea of what we were getting into.”

Evidently, there haven’t been many speed bumps, if at all, since LaFleur hired Hafley, as the Packers knew what they were getting into when they hired the former Boston College leader. All is well in Green Bay along their defense, it seems.

Perhaps his prior experience is coming in handy, as Hafley did spend some time working in the NFL before Boston College, with seven seasons at three different organizations.

All of those teams employed him to coach defensive backs. His stint with the San Francisco 49ers ended in 2018, before jumping back into the college game with Ohio State as the co-DC and DBs coach, and eventually being hired by the Eagles.

When he originally took the defensive coordinator position, Hafley explained what went into the decision, and how the changing college football landscape contributed.

“Now, I’m also the general manager,” Hafley said, via Adam Breneman and the NextUpPodcast, regarding how his role shifted with Boston College. “And you’re trying to manage the cap that you don’t really know what the cap is. Your fundraising. I mean, I want to coach football. I want to coach more defense this year than I did last year.

“Now, it’s just prioritizing — I gotta coach again, I miss it. I miss coaching DBs. But how am I going to do that?”

Jeff Hafley found a way, thanks to Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers. Time will tell if he made the right decision to return to the NFL, or if he’ll be yearning for Boston College in a couple of seasons.