USA TODAY Sports
Mike Pettine’s contract was up and the Packers decided not to renew it.
Now head coach Matt LaFleur is looking for a new defensive coordinator, saying Green Bay needs to be more consistent on the unit.
But in his season-ending press conference on Monday, LaFleur did credit Pettine for his contributions since he took over as head coach in 2019.
“Just really grateful for what Mike brought to us,” LaFleur said. “Obviously, he was a guy that I really leaned on. And anytime you make a decision like this, it’s never easy. It weighs heavily on your heart. Like I said, really grateful for everything he brought. Going to two straight NFC Championship games, we couldn’t have done it without Mike Pettine. And just felt like it was one of those deals where, again, it’s always a tough decision, but just needed some new leadership on that side of the ball. So that’s just the direction that we decided to go.”
LaFleur is reportedly interviewing Chargers passing game coordinator Joe Barry, Washington defensive backs coach Chris Harris, and Rams safeties coach Ejiro Evero. Barry, Evero, and LaFleur were all on the same Rams staff in 2017. Barry just left the Rams to take the Chargers job in January.
